


One Shots | camren au

by jaureguicabello5eva



Series: Camren AU One-Shots [1]
Category: Fifth Harmony (Band)
Genre: 5h, Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama & Romance, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Humor, Multi, fifthharmony, some smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-01-25 05:40:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 76,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12524240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaureguicabello5eva/pseuds/jaureguicabello5eva
Summary: Camila and Lauren fall in love a million different ways.





	1. you’re like a piece of art (you need to be nailed against a wall)

Camila doesn’t know what she’s looking at exactly. Actually, she does know what she’s looking at, she just doesn’t understand the big deal. Like, it’s a bunch of colorful squares and rectangles? She thinks she’s absolutely capable of painting that, and she doesn’t even consider herself an artist, so yeah, pay her whatever they’re paying these “abstract” artists. Whatever that means.

 

God, she feels uncultured as fuck, she thinks as she takes a sip of her third(?) glass of champagne.

 

Camila’s spending her Friday night in a too-tight red dress at the Museum of Modern Art in New York instead of catching up on sleep like she had planned. The museum is holding an exclusive exhibit for the weekend that features several works from known artists around the world. Not that Camila actually knows any of them.

 

Dinah, her best friend since coming out of the womb, had scored passes for the event from the sister-in-law of her cousin’s best friend’s girlfriend? Camila lost track after sister-in-law to be honest. Dinah knows way too many people, and she’s related to like half of California, so who knows?

 

Anyway, Dinah had gotten these passes and had planned to surprise her _ex_ -boyfriend, who is the broody, artist, mysterious, lying, cheating, S.O.B. type apparently. After finding her ex in a very compromising position with some wench in their previously shared apartment, Dinah had immediately broken it off and proceeded to get over him by getting under as many people as she could, until she got over that too, and now she’s sort of just wallowing in self-pity.

 

So, Camila, because she’s the greatest best friend in the world, naturally, offered to go with her to the stupid exhibit anyway in hopes of cheering up her best friend, and _maybe you’ll even get lucky with some hot-shot artist who makes hundreds of thousands of dollars painting blobs, Dinah!_

Well, now she’s kind of regretting her decision. She loves Dinah, she really does, but is everyone who attends exhibits just naturally broody and boring or does she just have to widen her perspective?

 

\--

 

Lauren is in heaven. She thinks this must be where starving artists lay their brushes down and go to die. She’s surrounded by incredible pieces that range from hundreds of years old to decades to within the last few years. There are pieces from your classic _Van Gogh_ and _Warhol_ , to newer pieces by _Philippe_ _Parreno_ , and her personal favorite, _Weiwei._ She’s convinced she’d actually died and gone to artist paradise.

 

She’d gotten a hold of a pass for this exclusive exhibit from Normani, her best friend, and who, by the way, was already Lauren’s favorite person in the world before she’d given her the pass, but now undoubtedly and solely owns the green-eyed girl’s heart.

 

And because the universe is being extra kind today, the exhibit just so happens to have Piet Mondrian’s _Tableau I_ on loan from Museum Ludwig in Germany.

 

Lauren is absolutely ecstatic. She’s been having kind of an artist’s block lately and there’s nothing like one of the greatest pieces in abstract history to inspire her. Mondrian’s _Tableau_ _I_ is a math-based geometric perfection that brings colors and lines and absolute arithmetic precision to life and Lauren can’t wait to see it in person.

 

She’s majoring in architecture **[A/N:** sorry I keep writing Lauren as an architect/aspiring architect lol **]** though if things were up to her, she would have majored in fine arts with a focus on painting and drawing. She’s a great painter and she’s not too bad at digital design either, but her passion lies in drawing. Give her a pencil and anything can be her sketchpad.

 

She’s studying architecture because it incorporates her love for design and drawing and _you need to major in something realistic, Lauren_. _There’s a reason they’re called “starving” artists. Do you really want to starve your future husband and kids?_

 

Has it been mentioned that her mother can be a bit overbearing? Well she is, and so Lauren is going to let her mom have her way because as suffocating as her mom can be, the dark-haired girl does love her with everything that she has. But since she’s hell bent on getting _some_ say in the matter, she’s also minoring in fine arts with a focus on, yup, drawing and painting.

 

She needs inspiration for her project in her Drawing II class as well as for her Advanced Urban Design class and thinks _Tableau I_ is the best of both worlds. Some people might think his work is just rectangles and squares but those are probably the same people who think pineapple on pizza is okay, which it’s not.

 

Also, her mother doesn’t know it, but she’s pretty sure she’s not going to end up with a husband anyway. Not when she’s just laid her eyes on the most beautiful _person? goddess? God’s gift to gay women?_ she’s ever seen.

 

Lauren is on her way to where she knows the painting is displayed when she spots a brunette squinting at Mondrian’s work. One of her hands has delicate, slender fingers wrapped around an almost-empty flute, while the other is worrying the bottom of her luscious lip.

 

Normani who? This woman owns Lauren’s heart now as far as she knows.

 

Lauren is your typical artist/aspiring architect so of course, she carries a sketchbook and pencil everywhere she goes. She pulls them both out and sits on a bench not too far, but not too close to pretty, brown eyes either. She doesn’t want to seem creepy, even though she _is_ being creepy.

 

Lauren forgets the world around her as she gets completely absorbed in trying to capture the beauty in front of her as best as she can. She needs to capture how this girl’s long lashes curve up in the most tantalizing way and the delicate way they fall over her mesmerizing eyes when she blinks. She needs to properly portray the gentle slope of her nose, the curve of her mouth when her desirable, full lips smile, and the defined cheeks and sharp jawline that flank her entire face. 

 

And that ass though.

 

She’s finishing up on outlining how her hair falls perfectly down her curved spine when she looks up and the object of her affection is gone.

 

“Shit,” she whispers to herself. “Where did she go?”

 

“I’m right here,” Normani says as she takes a seat next her. “I thought you’d be glued to an art piece by now, Laur” Normani chuckles. “You were so excited to come here and I find you just sat here, not even appreciating the work around you?” Normani clicks her tongue.

 

“Whatcha got there anyway,” she asks as she leans over and tries to see what’s got her friend busy.

 

Lauren scrambles to close her sketchbook and answers, “Nothing, just- um,” she struggles to look for an excuse that’s not _I was drawing this pretty girl I saw._ “Just working on a piece for my class,” she finally says. “All these pieces have given me the right inspiration,” she says with a bright smile and a thumbs up.

 

“Uh huh,” Normani says skeptically. “Anyway, I have to get back to finish this thing that’s due tomorrow. Did you want to leave with me or do you wanna stay for a bit?” Normani asks her friend.

 

Lauren takes one last desperate look around the museum for any sign of the mystery girl, and finally gives up when she sees none. “I’ll go with you I guess,” she answers despondently.

 

 

\--

 

It’s been two weeks since Lauren saw Ms. Brown Eyes and she still can’t get her out of her head. The girl’s been hounding her thoughts, partly because she feels frustrated that she can’t finish her piece, and partly because, well, pretty girls tend to occupy her mind a lot.

 

She’s rushing out of the Starbucks on campus to get to her design class on time for once when she spots the same wavy, brown locks that she’d been trying to re-create on paper, sitting on one of the outside tables. She guesses it won’t make a difference now if she’s late to class one more time.

 

_She goes here! Of course she goes here!_

When Lauren sees the girl get up to leave, she immediately follows her before she realizes what she’s doing. Stalking is probably not the way to get her point across to the girl, although, she’s not really sure what to say to her.

 

_Hey, I saw you at the museum and then I started drawing you without your permission, but you left before I was able to finish, so do you mind just posing for me for a bit. Also, you’re really pretty. My name is Lauren and I’m an idiot._

That doesn’t sound like it would get her a very desirable outcome.

 

So, naturally, she proceeds to just follow the girl _like the creep that she actually is_ and finds out that she’s taking a class in the BIOL. building around two-thirty on Thursdays. The stalking gets a bit out of hand and before Lauren realizes what’s happening, she’s basically got the girl’s schedule on three out of the five days of the week memorized.

 

In her defense, she really just wants to get a few more details on the girl’s face so she can finish the drawing. She’s an excellent artist, but she’s also a perfectionist, and her memory just isn’t doing the girl justice.

 

“Mani,” she catches up to the girl one afternoon. “I saw her again but she took a different route to the CHEM building today, and so I still don’t have enough details for my sketch,” she pouts. Lauren has given up on keeping the girl a secret from her best friend and since that cat got out of the bag, it’s all she ever talks about now.

 

Normani rolls her eyes and tells her, “You are an actual stalker. Just go up to the dang girl, geez. I’ve never seen you have so much trouble talking to a girl.”

 

“She’s not just some girl, Mani” Lauren insists.

 

“So you think the best course of action is to never speak to her,” Normani deadpans.

 

“Alright, fine” Lauren responds. “I’ll talk to her tonight. After her night class in the physics lab building” she decides with a determined nod of her head.

 

Normani looks at her like she’s crazy and shakes her head, “I’m not even gonna say anything about how that sounds.” Lauren rolls her eyes but slings an arm over the other girl’s shoulder. “I think I’m in love, Mani” she sighs dramatically, putting a hand over her heart as the other girl laughs and pushes her away.

 

\--

 

So the whole coming up to and talking to mystery girl plan has totally fallen through. Lauren’s not sure how she got to where she is but that’s not important at the moment. Right now, she’s truly reached absolute stalker level because she’s currently following her in the dark to what Lauren assumes is her apartment on campus. Every time she tried to approach her, the green-eyed girl’s nerves got the best of her and she ended up psyching herself out. Now, the window in which it’s acceptable to approach a stranger about possibly drawing them has passed and Lauren is stuck.

 

She’s so lost in her thoughts she didn’t realize the girl she was following is no longer in front of her. She takes a few steps forward and when she passes an opening to an alley, the mystery girl jumps out in front of her with her hands holding something pointed towards the dark-haired girl and screams,

 

“I HAVE MACE! STAND BACK” the girl screams and Lauren can’t help but think even her voice is sexy, and wow she’s about to be sprayed.

 

“No! Wait,” Lauren pleads, raising both her arms up. “I’m not going to hurt you I swear” she tries to convince the girl.

 

Camila is a bit taken aback by the girl in front of her. When she first realized she was being followed, she expected some buff, tattoos-in-the-face, hoodlum, who may or may not be armed with a knife or – or like nunchucks (she’s never robbed anyone before, she doesn’t know which types of weapons are appropriate).

 

Anyway, she wasn’t expecting this- this, beautiful human being. God, those eyes are mesmerizing, she thinks. But, back to the topic at hand.

 

“Okay green eyes, I’m gonna need you to explain yourself and if you so much as make a move,” she warns, “I’m going to spray you.”

 

Lauren keeps her hands up and decides to just rip the band-aid off. This situation cannot get any more out of hand so she thinks it’s best to just come clean.

 

She takes a deep breath and says, “Okay, well, I saw you at MOMA a few weeks ago and I was just so taken by your beauty and I thought you were the prettiest piece of art there so I started drawing you for my class, but I lost you before I had the chance to finish, so I started to sort of follow you around? You know, to add details to my sketch but it’s so hard when you’re constantly moving, so now I have this unfinished piece and it’s due tomorrow and I was wondering if you would mind posing for me? So I can finish my drawing?” Lauren rushes her words all in one breath. “How was your physics lab by the way?” she asks with a nervous chuckle.

 

Camila tries to process all the information and when she does, she can’t help but flush red. This gorgeous human being called her pretty? And she wants to draw her? She’s not sure if she’s creeped out or endeared.

 

She decides on the latter.

 

She slowly brings her hands down and puts her mace away. Lauren relaxes at that and throws her a meek smile. “I mean, it’s probably a hundred percent not safe because you just admitted to stalking me and you’re a complete stranger, but you’re really pulling off the whole awkward-but-cute thing you got going on, so….” Camila trails, putting a finger to her chin and pretending to think.

 

 “…sure,” Camila concedes. “I’ll pose for you.”

 

“YES!” Lauren exclaims and then clears her throat. “I mean, thank you so much,” she says, her cheeks flushed. “My name is Lauren by the way.”

 

“I’m Camila,” the younger girl answers back while trying to contain a smile, extending one of her hands.

 

“Great, where do you want to do it?” Lauren asks after shaking hands with her. Then she realizes what that sounds like and backtracks quickly, “I mean do the drawing, for my piece, not like, _do it_ in that way – I mean not that you aren’t, you know, attractive -  because you totally are, and I’m not assuming you’re even into gir–”

 

“Oh my gosh, Lauren. Calm down,” Camila says amidst her laughter while putting a hand on Lauren’s arm to calm the girl down. The touch is doing things to Lauren’s body and she feels a spark of heat travel from where Camila is touching her to the rest of her body, sprinkling a comforting kind of warmth in its wake.

 

Lauren flushes a deep red that’s accentuated by her light features and rubs the back of her neck.

 

Once Camila thinks the girl has gone back to her normal pale color, she answers Lauren’s question, “We can _do it_ at my apartment, so at least if you turn out to be a sociopath, my roommate, Dinah, will hopefully get back to the apartment and find evidence of what you might have done,” she winks and Lauren is blushing again in no time.

 

On their walk to Camila’s apartment, Lauren says “Well if I were really crazy and was planning on killing you, I think I would be called a ‘psychopath,’” she explains. Camila furrows her eyebrows and Lauren elaborates,

 

“Both obviously have problems regarding their conscience and the way they think, but _psychopaths_ tend to seem like well-adjusted members of society. They can even have charming personalities and hold high-paying jobs, like, they could be doctors,” Lauren explains.

 

“Sociopaths, on the other hand, are a bit more obvious in their behavior and they tend to be antisocial, and since you think I’m “awkward-but-cute” which I’m going to interpret as subtly charming, I would be a ‘psychopath,’” she concludes.

 

Camila looks at her and says, “Yeah, your knowledge of this is not helping your case in convincing me that you’re not out to kill me.”

 

Lauren looks back at her and shakes her head, “I was just clarifying you know,” she says nervously. It’s like she’s lost all of her ability to function socially around this girl. “I swear, I’m not usually this weird,” she responds with a nervous chuckle.

 

“I hope not,” Camila winks and continues to walk on.

 

Once they’re in the apartment, Lauren is wringing her hands nervously and Camila raises an eyebrow, “Is something wrong?”

 

“No, I just-” Lauren sighs.

 

“Not to push my luck or anything, but since we’re here and you’re willing to pose, do you mind if I start the drawing over? Like the one I’ve been working on is kind of hard to finalize because I’ve had so many viewpoints of your face. So, if it’s okay, would you be willing to pose for a whole, new drawing instead?” Lauren asks nervously.

 

“Well, since we’re here anyway,” Camila thinks about it. “Sure,” she finishes with a smile.

 

Laurens spends a couple of hours perfecting her drawing. Well, she tries to perfect it anyway. She doesn’t think it’s possible for anyone to capture Camila in a way that does her beauty justice. Now that Camila isn’t constantly moving and because she doesn’t have to draw from a distance, she does a better job at highlighting some of her features.

 

When she showed Camila the finished product, Camila had gasped into her hand and praised her talent so much that Lauren was convinced the blush on her cheeks was going to be permanent.

 

Now, they find themselves watching _Black Mirror_ on Netflix and no, they’re not Netflix and Chilling. They’re actually just watching.

 

Lauren is in the middle of a passionate rant about the dangers of social media especially _bullying_ in social media after watching an episode where literally hundreds of thousands of people died because of it, when Camila catches herself staring at the girl’s beauty.

 

Lauren is obviously pretty on the outside, but after spending a few hours with her and speaking with her about her passions and views on life, Camila is convinced maybe that the saying about beauty coming from within is true because Lauren is the embodiment of beautiful. She’s breathtakingly exquisite without reservation.

 

“Sorry, I’m ranting,” Lauren says with a weak smile.

 

“No, I think it’s great. I think you’re great,” Camila responds without thinking.

 

“Um, thanks” Lauren says. Then, she doesn’t know where she gets the courage, but she asks anyway,

 

“Would you like to have coffee or something, some time this week, my treat” Lauren asks shyly. “You know, it’s the least I could do to thank you for saving my assignment and not calling the police,” she says with a nervous chuckle.

 

“Are you asking me out,” Camila asks teasingly.

 

“I mean we can do something inside,” Lauren responds cheekily.

 

“Oh my gosh, you’re a dork,” Camila says mid-laugh. Lauren thinks she’d gladly shed her bad girl persona and be the biggest dork if it elicits laughs like this from Camila.

 

“It’s a date,” Camila says and Lauren’s heart soars.

 

Lauren is about to bid her goodbye when a loud clap of thunder, accompanied by a sudden downpour of rain and strong winds, sound from outside and reverberate through the apartment.

 

The girls jump and Camila says shakily, “Um, maybe you should stay the night? It’s late and it’s raining, I don’t want something bad to happen to you,” she explains. “Also, I’m not sure when Dinah is coming back, kinda depends on how her date goes.”

 

Lauren starts to refuse and says, “I don’t want to impose and-”

 

“Honestly, Lo. It’s fine. I’ll feel better knowing you’re safe,” she says with a genuine smile.

 

“Okay, I’ll take the couch,” Lauren concedes, the nickname catching her off-guard but sending another wave of pleasant warmth through her chest. She recognizes this feeling and she knows it’s way too early, but Camila’s soft smiles and genuine concern and just her overall presence is captivating Lauren in a way she’s not sure she has a chance to go against.

 

“No you can-,” Camila starts to protest.

 

“No, Camz,” Lauren says resolutely.

 

She shakes her head internally for letting the name she’s been calling Camila in her head all night slip out loud. “I’ve already asked too much from you, I’m not gonna take your bed too,” she says with a smile when it doesn’t look like Camila is going to object to the nickname.

 

“Okay,” Camila breathes out.

 

\--

 

It’s about two in the morning when Lauren sleepily rubs her eyes as she hears movement from the far side of the couch. She jumps up from the couch in fright when she sees a figure standing above her and sighs in relief when she realizes it’s just Camila.

 

“Shit, Camila,” she gasps. “You scared me.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Camila answers quietly, her breath shaky.

 

“Is everything okay?” Lauren asks the younger girl.

 

“Um, it’s just that – I mean the thunder, you know, it hasn’t really stopped,” Camila answers weakly.

 

There’s a curve to Lauren’s mouth when she says, “Are you scared of thunderstorms?”

 

“What, no,” Camila says indignantly. “Of course, not. _You’re_ scared of thunderstorms,” she throws back lamely.

 

Lauren raises an eyebrow and tries to stop herself from smiling.

 

“Okay fine, I’m scared of thunderstorms, so you’re either coming with me to bed or I’m joining you on the couch,” Camila dictates while crossing her arms.

 

Camila’s words spark a jolt of lightning through Lauren that starts from the base of her stomach and courses through her veins, spreading to her extremities, leaving her hot and bothered. She shakes the many different, _dirty_ ways she’d made out of Camila asking her to bed and responds as steadily as she can, “Y-yeah, I’ll just join you. I don’t think we can fit in this couch anyway.”

 

She knows she wasn’t successful in hiding Camila’s effect on her when she spots the younger girl smirking at her shaky response from the corner of her eyes.

 

The heated atmosphere between them dies down when they settle in Camila’s bed. It’s not long before they start talking about anything and everything under the sun. They get in passionate debates about world issues and laugh at the silliness of toe socks.

 

Lauren, for her part, is decidedly continuing conversation between them because she recognizes a distraction is what Camila needs as she realizes early on that Camila’s fear of thunderstorms is pretty serious. Camila can tell that Lauren is fighting off sleep to keep her company and she feels herself falling.

 

 _It’s been less than twelve hours, Camila_ she thinks. There is no way she’s actually falling, right?

 

She goes to sleep free of the nightmares that usually plague her whenever there are thunderstorms and dreams about green eyes and white smiles and flushed cheeks instead.

 

\--

 

The next morning, Camila walks out of her room and she is immediately jolted awake by the sight in front of her. Lauren had borrowed her clothes to sleep in and she’s wearing Camila’s favorite oversized hoodie that goes down to Lauren’s mid-thigh, sufficiently covering her short shorts and giving the illusion that she’s not wearing anything underneath.

 

Her messy hair is in a loose ponytail, highlight her widow’s peak and a few dark strands are framing her face. Her burrows are furrowed as her tongue is poking out between her teeth, seemingly in great concentration as she mixes what looks like pancake batter.

 

The sight is doing unhealthy things to her heart and even unhealthier things to the heat between her thighs.

 

She walks forward and makes her presence known. The green-eyed girl looks up and flashes her a smile that is threatening to combust her heart from where it’s trying to escape from her chest. The morning light catches Lauren’s eyes perfectly, making them the lightest green she’s ever seen them and highlighting the brown specks that are scattered right around her pupil. Camila’s heart needs a break, for crying out loud. How can anyone look this good at – Camila checks the time -  seven in the morning?

 

She’s shaken out of her thoughts when she hears a raspy voice say, “Good morning, I hope you don’t mind me taking over your kitchen. I made you breakfast,” she says while gesturing to a plate that’s already made with eggs, bacon, toast, and pancakes. Okay, she seriously needs to stop.

 

Lauren’s voice sounds even sexier in the morning and Camila has to take a deep breath to collect herself. She’s about to respond when –

 

“Why thank you, kind stranger,” Dinah says, walking out of her own room and grabbing _Camila’s_ toast from her plate, proceeding to stuff her mouth with it.

 

Camila scowls and Lauren just looks amused.

 

“Wow, none of Camila’s previous hook-ups have made it past midnight before,” Dinah says while chewing. “And here you are making her breakfast and shit,” she says chuckling.

 

Lauren feels unmistakable heat creep up her neck and into her cheeks as Camila throws a piece of bread at her best friend, “Dinah! We didn’t hook up. Jeez,” she says scandalized, _not yet at least_. “She’s a friend. I helped her with a project. Lauren, this is Dinah,” Camila says gesturing to her friend, “Dinah, my friend Lauren,” she says as she introduces the two.

 

“Hm-mhm,” Dinah says, eyeing the two skeptically. “We all know what ‘friend’ means,” she says with exaggerated air quotes.

 

\--

 

Their coffee date goes well and they continue to find out new things that they like about each other. Lauren is as passionate about her art as she is about world issues and Camila somehow pulls off being goofy and sexy at the same time while still keeping up with Lauren in their many, varied conversations.

 

They’ve gone on a few dates when Camila asks Lauren to go on a road trip with her to Baltimore one weekend. Lauren says yes without even thinking about it. She thinks she’ll follow Camila to the ends of the earth if she asks her.

 

Camila is finishing up her make up on the dresser in their hotel room when Lauren comes out of the bathroom, already made up, except for her dress, which she’s holding in the front of her chest with two hands.

 

“Hey Camz,” she says as she turns around and flips her hair over her shoulder so Camila can have access to her back, “Can you zip me up please,” she asks with her head only half-turned. She misses the way Camila basically drools at all the exposed skin.

 

They’ve only been dating a couple weeks and haven’t gone further than heated make out sessions where Camila had snuck a couple gropes on a breast or two and Lauren had made herself familiar with expanse of skin that is Camila’s ass. But right now, Camila is seriously considering throwing away her plans and throwing Lauren to bed instead and telling her she won’t need clothes for the rest of the weekend.

 

She’s shaken out of her trance when Lauren’s voice floats through the air and addresses her, “Camz?”

 

“Oh, uh, sure,” she says as she stands up and goes behind Lauren. They make eye contact through the full body mirror in front of them and shoot each other meaningful smiles.

 

Camila steadies her shaking hands as she rests her left hand on Lauren’s hip and the other grabs the zipper near her lower back. She swallows hard and slowly pulls the zipper up, her knuckles grazing Lauren’s skin and leaving goose bumps in their wake. She hears a soft gasp from Lauren and she squeezes her hard on the hip. When she sees Lauren through the mirror closing her eyes with her red-painted lips slightly ajar, Camila leans forward, turning her head to face Lauren’s side and grazing her mouth on Lauren’s ear as she breathes out, “Can’t wait to help you of this later,” she husks as she gives Lauren one final squeeze and a quick, but deep kiss just below her ear.

 

Lauren turns around breathless and says, “I don’t care what the surprise is, I want you naked on this bed now.”

 

 

\--

 

Camila should really get an award for having the world’s greatest self-control. After Lauren not so subtly expressed that she’d wanted to take Camila to bed, Camila had to power through and convince Lauren that the surprise is worth seeing.

 

Not very many people can defer such an offer from one Lauren Jauregui.

 

Lauren walks into the Baltimore Museum of Art and an energy of pure excitement courses through her as she looks around the exhibit. The museum had secured an exhibit from _Ai Weiwei_ , Lauren’s absolute favorite contemporary artist. Weiwei is the perfect embodiment that showcases the intersectionality between Lauren’s two loves, art and activism. He uses his prominence to give voice to victims and decry faulty governments. He’s using a hundred percent of his profits from this specific exhibit to help the refugees in the Middle East.

 

The exhibit was pretty hard to get into and many other prominent artists and powerful figures had already secured VIP passes to this exclusive, one-night show months ahead, from what Lauren knows anyway. She looks at Camila and her heart soars at the way she’s looking back. Surrounded by magnificent art and Camila is looking at _her_ like she’s the central piece.

 

“How?” she asks quietly, Lauren’s eyes stuck on Camila’s.

 

Camila shrugs her shoulders and says, “Pulled a few strings. I knew some people so…” she trails off when Lauren keeps looking at her like she had brought the moon to her.

 

“Thank you,” Lauren says sincerely squeezing Camila’s hand in hers.

 

“Anything for my girl,” she says with a with a wide smile.

 

\--

 

After spending a couple hours in the exhibit, Camila finds Lauren in front of Weiwei’s _Odyssey,_ a wallpaper piece that covers an entire wall on the far side of the gallery. The piece depicts the struggles of refugees in the Middle East in an ancient art style in which the characters in the piece are drawn as if they would have been in ancient times, on earth ware clay (Shaw, A. (2017) “Lest we forget, Ai Weiwei’s first show in Turkey is a meditation on refugee crisis. _The Art Newspaper_ ) **[A/N:** I still don’t know how citations work **].**

 

Camila comes up behind her and gently wraps her slender arms around Lauren’s midsection, laying her chin on the other girl’s shoulder.

 

“Do you like your surprise,” she whispers softly.

 

A fond smile forms on Lauren’s red lips. “I love it,” she says turning her head slightly. “I don’t even remember mentioning my favorite artist’s name to you” she says furrowing her brows.

 

“You may not have said his name, Lo” Camila explains. “But you mention his works a lot. _Gosh Camz, there’s this artist I love. His pieces are so powerful and he’s a self-taught architect. He’s like me basically! An artist, an architect, and an activist,_ ” Camila says in a deep, husky voice in what is supposed to be her imitation of Lauren’s raspy voice.

 

Lauren laughs softly, and god, she is endeared by the woman in front of her. “I do not sound like that,” she says mid-laugh. “I hope you don’t do that impression of me to anyone else.”

 

Camila feels that familiar warmth in her chest whenever she hears Lauren laughing because of her and she tightens her arms around the girl, trying not to say anything that could definitely scare the other girl away. Two weeks is way too short for such deep feelings.

 

“But I can’t believe you pay enough attention to my ramblings to pick out my favorite artist just from talking about different pieces. I mean, I talk about a lot of other pieces too,” Lauren continues to point out.

 

“Well, it really isn’t hard to pay attention to you, Laur,” Camila responds softly. “I know you don’t notice it, but half the room pays attention to you even when you’re not doing anything. It helps that I’m also always so in tune to everything you do. It’s like my body and mind are programmed to listen to and watch everything you do,” she finishes.

 

Lauren’s heart is hammering against her chest. She can’t believe Camila turned out to be even more beautiful on the inside once she got to know her. She turns around in Camila’s arms and wraps her own hands around the other girl’s neck.

 

“You know, you called me ‘your girl,’ earlier,” Lauren says.

 

“Oh did I?” Camila pretends to scrunch up her face.

 

“Well, am I?” Lauren asks hesitantly. “Your girl I mean, like, are we girlfriends?” she powers through the mad blush that is taking over her face.

 

Camila can’t believe this precious human being is all hers. “Lauren Michelle Jauregui,” she responds while trailing her hands down Lauren’s back so softly Lauren might not have noticed it if all her nerve endings weren’t firing like crazy at the moment.

 

“Will you be my girlfrie-,” Camila tries to say.

 

“Yes,” Lauren breathes out before she even finishes and attacks Camila’s lips with her own, immediately slipping her tongue in Camila’s mouth when she gasps. Lauren indulges in the warmth of Camila’s mouth and tongue and the soft breaths she’s letting out for every particularly hard swipe of her tongue before she pulls back, lest they get kicked out for public indecency.

 

Camila opens her eyes slowly, still slightly dazed, “I’m gonna go research a bunch of exhibits you like if I get thanked like that every time” she says in a breathless voice.

 

Lauren laughs and then leans close to Camila’s ear, playing with the hairs behind her neck when she rasps out, “That’s not all, baby. I plan on thanking you a lot more when we get back to the hotel.”

 

Camila swallows hard and responds shakily, “H-how exactly are you going to do that?”

 

Lauren smirks and subtly sucks on Camila’s skin where her jaw meets her neck while wrapping her slim fingers around Camila’s neck lightly, but noticeably more tightly than before,

 

“How about…,” she whispers, “I let you have your way with me?” she says and Camila drags her out of the museum before Lauren even has a chance to figure out what’s happening.

 

\--

 

They’re cuddled up on Lauren’s bed one night with Lauren’s arms wrapped around the other girl and Camila facing away from the green-eyed girl, the brunette’s own hands playing with Lauren’s fingers, which have snuck their way in Camila’s shirt and is drawing patterns on her toned stomach when Lauren breathes out against her neck,

 

“Will you let me paint on you?” she asks.

 

Camila turns around in her arms and brings both hands to Lauren’s face, cupping her face gently when she responds with a cheeky smile, “You want to paint me like one of your French girls?”

 

Lauren laughs lightly and turns her head to plant a quick kiss to the inside of Camila’s palm. Camila’s gaze softens at the action and she’s close to saying the same words she’d made a conscious effort not say to anyone for a very long time when Lauren says,

 

“No I mean like, paint _on_ you” she says. “I want to paint on your back, specifically.”

 

Camila shakes her thoughts away internally and thinks about it for a second. “Hmm, that’s very tumblr-y. And kinda gay. That’s very tumblr-y and gay, Laur” she finally says.

 

“Well then it’s perfect for the both of us,” she says with a bright smile. “Come on,” she implores while running her hand down Camila’s back and up her shirt, tracing the soft skin along the ridges of her spine as she leans forward to breathe out against the other girl’s neck, “Your back is so sexy, baby. It would be like making art _on_ art,” she husks out after sucking on a sensitive spot on the other girl’s neck.

 

“You can be very persuasive,” Camila half says, half moans.

 

Lauren smirks against her skin and pulls back, “So is that a yes?”

 

Camila looks her girlfriend in the eye and says, “You’re way too charming for your own good, you know that? It’s kinda scary, like what if down the road you want to paint our kids’ room a crazy color or display raunchy paintings in our living room because _it’s art, Camz._ ”

 

They both seem to realize the implication behind Camila’s words and the brunette flushes a deep red as her hands become sweaty.

 

_Shit. She’s gonna run. I totally freaked her out._

Lauren’s heartbeat is thunderous in her chest and she can’t help but picture a future with Camila. A slow smile forms on her lips and she says before the other girl can backtrack, “Then I guess I’ll just have to persuade you the only way I know if I want paintings of naked girls in _our_ home or if I want to paint _our_ kids’ room a light shade of _smaragdine.”_ **[A/N:** it’s green **]**.

 

Camila’s heart leaps in her chest and it’s like Lauren and Camila’s hearts are competing to see who can jump out of their ribbed confines first. They look at each other with soft smiles and twinkles in their eyes, and against all the dating rules they’ve placed for themselves, with _love._ With Lauren’s response confirming that the green-eyed girl is in this for the long run, Camila can’t help but think she can’t wait to hang paintings of naked girls and design _smaragdine_ -colored rooms.

 

That’s how Camila finds herself on her stomach with her top off and wearing only her Iron Man boy shorts with Lauren straddling her, the green-eyed girl perched right on top of her butt. They both go to sleep in just shirts and underwear so Lauren herself is sitting on Camila with nothing but a shirt and some lace underwear and Camila is finding it hard to focus.

 

They’re facing towards the foot of the bed so Camila has a perfect view of Lauren working on her back through the mirror on Lauren’s dresser, which is in front of the bed across the room. Lauren’s _The 1975_ shirt, or is it Camila’s(?), has already collected a few paint spots as Lauren seems too absorbed in her work to notice anything else. Her hair is up in a messy bun and her tongue is poking out between her teeth in the way that it does when she’s concentrating and she’s wearing her glasses and Camila is _in love._

 

She’s still reluctant to say it because it’s still way too soon in her opinion and she’s had her heart broken too many times. She’d given her heart out way too easily in the past and she refuses to lose in love again. Her thoughts are broken when Lauren moves on top of her.

 

The older girl leans forward and props her right hand by Camila’s chest, her fingers grazing Camila’s exposed side boob, while she uses her left hand to work on, apparently, a very small detail on Camila’s back because her face is inches from Camila’s skin and her hot breath is sending a warm, tingling sensation throughout her body. Lauren leaning forward also shifts where the green-eyed girl’s center is sat on top of Camila’s ass and the friction causes Camila to moan.

 

Lauren seems to be shaken out of her focus and immediately asks, “Shit, are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

 

“NO! Um-,” Camila clears her throat. “I mean it’s just um-” she tries to gather her thoughts to no avail and swallows hard.

 

Lauren looks at Camila’s flushed cheeks through the mirror and sees how her blush has spread to her ears and the back of her neck. She smirks, “Oh, I see what’s happening. Can’t you keep it in your pants for like two seconds?” Lauren says while chuckling, their point of contact making Camila feel every vibration through her body.

 

“No I can’t just keep it in my pants. Have you seen yourself?” Camila huffs indignantly.

 

Lauren just shakes her head and laughs. She leans forward and puts her brush down, placing both of her hands on either side of Camila’s head, being careful not to touch the paint, and turns to give Camila’s cheek a lingering kiss followed by a whisper in her ear, “Later, babe.”

 

Lauren finishes up and takes a picture of Camila’s back with her polaroid camera while remaining seated on Camila. She retrieves the picture and can’t help the smile that forms on her lips. The flawless curve of Camila’s back had been the perfect backdrop for the galaxy that she painted, the swirls of the cosmos perfectly complementing the shape of Camila’s body. She can see her own pale thighs dotted with paint and contrasting against Camila’s tan skin as she straddles her. Camila’s head is turned to the side, showing her mid laugh with her eyes closed and smile wide.

 

Lauren looks at it and knows she’s in love.

 

\--

 

Lauren and Camila are at another exhibit and this time, it’s Lauren’s.

 

It’s been three years since Lauren stalked Camila on her way to her apartment and started their story of a lifetime. Camila graduated with high honors and is now nearing the end of her first year as a medical student. Lauren, on the other hand, had been picked up by a benefactor when Camila and Lauren spent the summer after graduation in France.

 

Her patron’s massive wealth combined with her incredible talent meant it took almost no time before Lauren gained ground in the art scene and became one of the fastest rising artists in the world. Following the footsteps of her artist/activist hero, Lauren has been donating a good portion of her profits to various charities, some she’d founded herself, after she had established a steady pace in her career.

 

Now, she’s in the middle of one of her most important exhibits yet. The gallery is filled with art pieces that depict her own life. Her benefactor had convinced her to create a showcase as a way for people to “get to know the artist.” She had used as many different media as she could think of to symbolize the many different layers and nuances that make up her life. She has her career, her friends, her family, her hobbies and interests, and of course, she has her Camila.

 

Lauren feels exposed and not because there are people looking into different aspects of her life, but because even after years of being with Camila, she feels the most nervous about her art when it comes to the brown-eyed girl. _What if **she**_ _thinks_ _the whole exhibit is ridiculous and narcissistic?_

“Hey, babe” Camila addresses her cheerily as she comes up to her girlfriend, effectively stopping Lauren’s train of thought. She looks up and sees her inspiration for just about every significant art piece she’d sold.

 

“Hey,” she says. “What do you think?” she asks nervously.

 

Camila comes up to wrap her arms around the other girl’s neck and Lauren instinctively places her hands around the girl’s waist. “I think you continue to amaze me with your talent is what I think,” Camila says, pride shining in her eyes.

 

Lauren lets out a sigh of relief and grabs Camila’s hand, “Come on, it’s time to reveal the central piece.”

 

Lauren is next to Camila as the curator for the gallery is giving an introduction about Lauren and her piece and Camila can feel the nerves radiating from the girl next to her. Lauren had refused to show Camila the piece before the actual exhibit. She had even worked on it in secret, sneaking out at night and sneaking back in the early hours of the morning. It had caused quite the problem for them.

 

\--

 

_Camila stirs awake and her hands instinctively reach out for her girlfriend’s warmth, only to be met with cold, empty sheets. She sits up and rubs her eyes, adjusting her eyes to the darkness and finding no sign of the green-eyed girl. She gets up and calls out into the empty apartment,_

_“Laur?”_

_Nothing._

_Her heart thuds in her chest and she feels a familiar ache in her chest. Lately, Lauren has been busy “working on something” and she’s barely seen her. She had trusted the girl early on, but Camila had been cheated on so many times she knows the signs like the back of her hand. She picks up her phone and dials the other girl’s number only to see it vibrating on the coffee table._

_“Damn it, Laur” she whispers._

_She tries to stay up for the girl but finds herself falling asleep on the couch after a couple hours. She’s stirred awake when she hears keys jingling on the door. She stands up and crosses her arms immediately. Lauren walks in looking tired._

_“Long night?” Camila asks harshly._

_“Camila, what are you doing up?” Lauren asks._

_Camila looks at her like she’d lost her damn mind, “What am I- are you kidding? Where have **you**_ _been?” she asks angrily. Her temper rising against her own volition._

_Lauren sighs and moves to the kitchen, “I’m tired Camila, can we not do this right now? I told you I’ve been working on something.”_

_“Something or someone?”_

_Lauren turns her head and says angrily, “Are you serious? Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”_

_“You’ve been out late most nights and all you have to say about it is you’re ‘working on something’.” Camila says heatedly. “I mean, we live together and I barely see you, Laur,” Camila says, her voice cracking. “I just miss you.”_

_Lauren looks at her with an unreadable expression, “Do you not trust me?”_

_Camila looks at her and stays silent. Lauren scoffs and shakes her head, “Unbelievable, after almost three years of being together, you still think I’m like your exes? Like I’m just gonna get up and leave? What do I have to do to show you that I love **you** and I’m here for the long run?” she asks exasperatedly. “You’ve been looking for reasons to not make this work, Camila, and as far as I know, I haven’t done anything wrong.”_

_“Lauren I’m sor-”_

_“You know what, I can’t do this,” Lauren says picking up her keys again. “Come talk to me when you’re ready to listen” she says as she walks out the door._

_That following night, when Lauren doesn’t come home, Camila cries herself to sleep. Lauren had left her phone again in her haste to leave and now Camila doesn’t know how to reach her._

_Lauren is spending another late night at the studio and when she walks out of the ART building, she sees Camila by the steps. “Camila?” she asks. The girl turns around and gets up quickly. Her body is aching to bring Lauren in her arms and hug her and never let her go again, but she’s not sure where they stand so she keeps her hands to herself, choosing to stuff them in her pockets instead. Her eyes are swollen and she looks like she hasn’t slept in the last couple days. Lauren’s heart breaks at the sight. She thought she was doing the right thing by giving them space._

_“I’m sorry,” Camila says, trying to keep her tears at bay. “I do trust you Laur. I do. It’s me, I just get so insecure,” she looks up with pleading eyes. “Please come home.”_

 

_Lauren closes the distance between them and wraps her arms around the other girl. She’d miss Camila and her warmth and just **her** these past few days, it’s like she’d been on autopilot until she got to touch her again. “ **I’m** sorry,” she responds. “I’ve just been so stressed lately and I thought I was doing us a favor by giving us a break,” she turns her head to give Camila’s head a kiss._

_Camila pulls back with tears in her eyes and leans forward to give Lauren a watery kiss, “I love you.”_

_“I love you, too,” Lauren sighs. She’s glad to be home again._

_The next morning, Camila wakes up to empty sheets again but when she turns her head, she sees a single rose with a note,_

_“I love you, Camila. I’m sorry if I did anything to make you feel otherwise. I’ve packed your stuff. Get dressed and come meet me downstairs, I’m getting the car ready. We’re going away for the weekend. – Yours forever, Lauren”_

_Camila smiles to herself and gets ready as fast as she can. She sees Lauren downstairs leaning against her car and holding a bouquet of red roses with her attention on her phone. “Is this how you’re going to make it up to me every time we fight?” she asks as she approaches the green-eyed girl._

_Lauren looks up and smiles as she offers her girl the flowers. “Actually, I’ve had this planned for a while. I’d been working late because I was trying to finish my piece so we can have this weekend all to ourselves,” she says sincerely._

_Camila’s gaze softens and she starts to feel guilty. “Don’t,” Lauren interrupts her moping. “I should have done a better job at communicating with you. We both messed up,” she says as she brings Camila’s chin up with her fingers. “We’re going to continue to mess up but it won’t matter because at the end of the day, we’re always going to come back to one another. My heart isn’t capable of doing anything else but beat for yours, okay?” she assures Camila as she kisses her forehead._

\--

 

Camila looks over and sees the girl worrying her lip and fiddling with her fingers. Camila reaches out to stop her fingers and interlaces their hands instead. Lauren gives her a soft look and mutters a “thank you” in her ear when she leans over to give her forehead a kiss.

 

“…and now, it’s time to reveal, _The Center of Her Universe_ ,” the curator announces as the veil is pulled down from the framed piece.

 

There are soft gasps all around and flashes flicker as the invited press takes pictures of the gigantic drawing in the center of the room.

 

Camila herself is finding it hard to breathe. She’s looking at the piece and it’s causing a rush of emotions that bulldozes right through her entire being. The art piece is a larger-than-life drawing of a girl that looks a lot like Camila.

 

The artist’s perspective shows the girl’s side profile. She’s standing with her hand worrying her lip as she looks to be concentrating on what’s in front of her. Camila notes the familiar geometric shapes that the girl is looking at.

 

 _Tableau I_.

 

It’s a drawing of Camila when Lauren first laid eyes on her.

 

What makes the drawing breathtaking is the fact that on the dress Camila is wearing and throughout her wavy, brown locks, there are miniature drawings of different scenes from Camila and Lauren’s time together. The mini scenes are drawn with exquisite detail despite the seemingly non-existent space. There are sketches of their movie dates, gifts they’ve given each other, and quotes and declarations of love they’ve said over the years.

 

Camila, with tears in her eyes, turns to look at Lauren, who of course, is already looking at her.

 

“Lauren,” she whispers in awe. “This is incredible.”

 

“It doesn’t do justice to half of your beauty and what you’ve done to my life since I found you,” Lauren responds sincerely. Camila can’t say or do anything but throw her arms around Lauren and say, “I love you so much.”

 

\--

 

They’re sitting on the rooftop of the gallery a couple hours after the exhibit had come to a close with Camila’s arm intertwined with Lauren’s and her head leaning against the other girl’s shoulder.

 

Camila can’t think of any other place she’d rather be.

 

Lauren disrupts the silence when she reaches for something in her jacket and for the second time that night, Camila is speechless. In front of her, Lauren is holding onto an open small box with a ring.

 

“I actually wanted to this at the reveal, but then I remembered how every milestone in our relationship had always just been between the two of us and I also didn’t want to pressure you in front of those people so…” Lauren says with a nervous laugh.

 

Camila looks up into her favorite green eyes and she sees the other girl’s nervous gaze as if Camila could even say anything other than _yes_ to her.

 

“Like I wanted to depict in my main piece,” Lauren starts. “You’re the center of my universe, Camila. You’ve brought nothing but happiness and pure love to my life and I can’t thank you enough. You continue to be my number one supporter and have stayed by my side through everything. I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how grateful I am for you if you’d let me, so…” she takes a deep breath.

 

“Camila Cabello,” she starts again, “Will you marr-”

 

“YES!” Camila answers and throws her arms around Lauren’s neck and kisses her as if to say every single thing she doesn’t know how to describe in words through the way her mouth moves along Lauren’s. She’s kissing her to show Lauren that with the green-eyed girl, it’s always going to be a resounding yes. Lauren owns her heart and everything else. She owns all of Camila.

 

“A thousand times yes,” she breathes into Lauren’s mouth as the other girl’s lips curve into a smile.

 

\--

 

Camila is admiring the ring on her finger when she suddenly says to the other girl, “I still can’t believe you didn’t just come up to me that first day in MOMA,” she says with a confused look.

 

“That was probably honestly for the best,” Lauren says.

 

“What, why?” Camila asks curiously.

 

“The only thing that was going through my mind at the time was a lame pick-up line that definitely would not have worked in my favor,” Lauren says laughing to herself.

 

“What was it,” Camila asks.

 

Lauren looks at her and concedes. She clears her throat and says in a deep, husky voice,

 

“You’re like a piece of art,” she starts.

 

When Camila only raises an eyebrow, she continues.

 

“I want to nail you against the wall.”

 

\--

 

The End.

 


	2. love made in the lab

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> *DJ Khaled voice* another one.

  
  


Camila has never really appreciated why windows in tall buildings are always sealed. Like, maybe she just wants to crack a window open every once in a while, get some fresh air or something.

 

Well, she never appreciated sealed windows until now that is. Right now, she’s two seconds away from jumping out of their seventh floor research lab and she honestly, probably would have, had the windows not been sealed. So she has whoever invented sealed windows to thank for saving her life.

 

It’s almost nine at night and she’s _still_ at the lab running this stupid experiment. She’s been working since eight in the morning and she’s exhausted. Camila is spending her gap year between graduating college and matriculating into medical school working in a research laboratory in Columbia University. She’d already gotten accepted to a few schools, but her heart is pretty much set on Columbia. It’s where she went to college and has spent the last three years getting involved in their neurology department’s research on neurodegenerative diseases, so she really can’t think of anywhere else she’d rather go.

 

Camila has also fallen in love with New York so that all but seals the deal. Right now, however, she’s anything but pleased about working in this lab. Their lab is getting ready to submit a grant proposal and so everyone is working hard to generate as much clear and concrete data for their preliminary results. This means late nights and early mornings in the lab and Camila just misses her bed and her cat and now the centrifuge machine isn’t working.

 

She was on her last run on this dumb centrifuge when it just stopped working. She’s called some people that work in the same lab and they advised that she turn it off and wait another _30 minutes?!_ and just try again, so that’s what she’s doing: waiting and contemplating about jumping out the window.

 

\--

 

Lauren is mopping the floor on the seventh floor of Columbia’s Center for Neurological Research lab while trying to read her notes for her Torts class the next morning. She took a full-time job as a custodian in the building because it’s the only full-time job she could secure while still attending law school. As a first year J.D. student at Columbia, there isn’t much flexibility in her schedule. Her parents cut her off right before she started undergrad when she came out to them, so she’s been fending for herself for a while. A full ride to Columbia for pre-law meant she was able to work and save money to be able to continue living in New York and attend law school. Student loans is covering the rest of her tuition.

 

Lauren doesn’t care much about spending the rest of her life paying off student loans if she can have her dream career. She’d wanted to be a lawyer since she can remember hanging out in her dad’s office at the age of six, marveling at how her dad worked tirelessly for other people. She’s sad that her hero won’t see her achieve her dreams, but she likes to imagine her dad is somewhat still proud of her. So now, she’s taking classes during the day, and working as a custodian from 5 pm to about 1 in the morning. She doesn’t get much sleep or rest in between school and work and studying, but her eyes are on the prize so she makes it work. Unfortunately, however, that doesn’t give her much time to build real relationships, so casual, no-strings attached hook-ups will have to do. Her many one-night stands and lack of commitment may also have everything to do with abandonment issues she’s brushed to the back of her mind.

 

She’s looking at the different examples of non-contractual wrongs most frequently covered in tort cases when she hears a very frustrated “Ughh!” coming from one of the labs on the floor. She immediately goes over to the source and figures it’s the brunette that she always sees working late as of recently.

 

Lauren and the girl has this sort of implicit acquaintance kind of relationship where they don’t really know each other’s names, but they’ve seen each other so much the last few weeks that they’re on a wave-and-smile-at-each-other basis now. The brunette works on both the sixth and seventh floors and uses multiple lab rooms for her experiments, depending on what equipment she needs.

 

This doesn’t usually pose a problem because during the day, all the labs are unlocked. As people leave, however, and they lock their respective lab rooms, Camila has to deal with going up to the seventh floor, only to go back down to her main lab and retrieve her keys because she never has them with her.

 

Lauren has picked up on the girl’s tendency to leave her keys as she’s seen the brunette stomping through the floor, muttering profanities and _stupid keys_ under her breath as she tries to walk quickly without spilling the samples in her hands on multiple occasions.

 

As amused as Lauren is watching the girl, however, she does feel bad for her. So, she got in the habit of unlocking all the lab doors in both floors when she first comes in for her shift. Camila doesn’t really know about it but it always makes Lauren smile when she sees the other girl whisper-yell _Bless!_ when she finds out the doors are unlocked.

 

Up until this moment, they haven’t really said a word to one another. Lauren rushes into the lab where she figures the other girl is and cautiously steps in,

 

“Um, is everything okay in here? Are you all right?” Lauren asks.

 

Camila turns around and blushes in embarrassment at attracting attention to her meltdown. She forgot Green Eyes works on this floor too. “Oh yeah, um –,” Camila responds. “Everything is fine,” she says hurriedly, then pauses to think. “Actually, I’m contemplating about the possible the consequences of breaking the window and jumping through it, but other than that, everything is absolutely fine,” she says with a pained smile.

 

Lauren rubs the back of her neck unsurely and says, “Is there any way I can help?” she asks. “Coz I mean, I’d probably have to clean up the shards of glass if you do that and I still have this floor and a few floors to get through,” she says with a smile.

 

Camila, for the first time that night, cracks a small smile, “Well I don’t know if you know much about equipment stuff, but this centrifuge,” she gestures as she sends the machine a cold glare, “just stopped working for no reason.”

 

“Did you try turning it off and on again?” Lauren asks with a hint of a smile.

 

“As a matter of fact, I did,” Camila says seriously, “it’s still not working.”

 

Lauren takes a look at the machine and says, “Well, I’ve seen this machine in a few other floors. There’s one on the tenth floor, I think?” she says as she scratches her head. “I can get you access to one of the rooms if you want. Just make sure you don’t break that too,” Lauren offers.

 

Camila’s eyes brighten at that, “Can you really do that?” she says with excitement. “I promise I’ll be quick, I just want to go home,” she pouts.

 

“For sure,” Lauren says, “Come on, I’ll show you there. I’m Lauren, by the way,” she introduces herself as they get into the elevator.

 

“Camila,” the brunette responds. “Thanks for saving my experiment.”

 

“No big deal,” Lauren says. “Just gotta give me credit now when you guys get published,” she says with a smirk.

 

Camila laughs and thinks the night’s not so bad after all.

 

\--

 

After the centrifuge incident, Camila and Lauren's relationship has progressed to short, friendly conversations, asking each other about things like Camila’s project and Lauren’s Legal Procedures class and Camila’s cat and so on.  
  
One Friday night, Camila doesn’t come into the lab until around five. She's spent the day attending meetings after meetings and conferences about upcoming conferences and afterwards, she had to meet with her mentor about revisions to her grant, so, long story short, it's been a long day.  
  
And she still has to come in the lab because the experiment she started yesterday had a two-day time course.  
  
Despite her exhaustion, she doesn't really dread coming into lab like she would have before meeting the green-eyed girl, however. In the few times she'd been able to talk to the other girl, she'd found out how Lauren was juggling school and work and she can't help but admire her. Camila knows she herself works hard, it's no small feat to get into Columbia Med, but she had also lived a very privileged life. Both her parents are doctors and they attended Ivy League schools for both undergrad and med school. Camila never had to worry about working for tuition or running out of resources when studying for standardized tests. Lauren, on the other hand, is pursuing her dreams without any support from her family.  
  
Camila discovered that Lauren is very intelligent, but can be very silly too. She puts out this bad girl image but is an actual puppy once you get to know her. It also doesn’t hurt that she's hot as fuck.  
  
Lauren has midnight black hair that plunges down her shoulders in semi-short, wavy locks. The way the strands flows through Lauren’s fingers when she flips her hair to achieve a careless-but-gorgeous messy hair look sends Camila’s heart racing and mouth watering. Her lips are almost always chapped but they still look like they could be softer than lilac and Camila sometimes wonders how those lips would feel against her own, or her neck, or other places. Camila’s not even going to get into details about Lauren’s eyes. They’re vibrant and tantalizing and lets Camila know every emotion Lauren might be trying to hide otherwise in her attempt to have a mysterious girl persona. Thick eyebrows provide a perfect complement to the way her velvety lashes fall over her forest green eyes. Her body looks soft and toned at the same time and Camila imagines the many different ways she could worship her silky, creamy skin that envelopes her voluptuous curves **[A/N:** Can you tell I’m a Lauren girl or what **]**.

  
So, yeah, she's tired but excited to see the other girl. She also brought some Pad Thai for them to share over dinner. She noticed Lauren rarely had more than a mere sandwich for dinner and she figures meals take a back seat when she goes to school all day and works all night.  
  
"Hi Lauren," she greets happily.  
  
"Hi Camila," Lauren says as she's pulling her cart out of the supplies closet. She can't help but feel lighter at the other girl's presence.  
  
Camila, she found out early on, is a very cheerful person. She might a have a mental breakdown or two every once in a while, but Lauren figures that’s probably normal for aspiring doctors. She's also very smart, and nothing turns Lauren on like a sexy mind. Lauren really appreciates her company. The older girl can be very closed off and that's mostly because she's been alone for a long time, and although that's mainly her choice, she hasn't realized how much she missed genuine companionship until Camila.  
  
At around half past seven, Camila calls Lauren over to the lounge. "What's up," Lauren says, walking into the lounge and finding Camila pulling out two Styrofoam boxes.  
  
"Eat dinner with me," she says with a wide smile. That smile is really going to cause problems for Lauren in the long run. "And don't even try to say you’ve eaten already as an excuse, I know you don't usually eat till like eight," she says as she continues to unpack their utensils and napkin.  
  
Lauren walks in and sits across from Camila, "Well since I'm being coerced, I guess so," she says with fake annoyance. Camila smiles so widely Lauren's scared she might split her face in half. "Ooh, my favorite," Lauren says excitedly as she opens the box.  
  
"Yeah, I remember you mentioned it once," Camila says as she stuffs her mouth with a forkful of noodles.  
  
Lauren watches with _something_ in her eyes but Camila is too busy trying to poke her shrimp with her chopstick to notice. Lauren just shakes her head fondly and is glad to eat a real meal for once.  
  
Camila doesn’t finish her experiment until around midnight and it's not until she's locking up that she realizes the city circulator only runs _until_ midnight and now she’s either gonna have to pay the outrageous Friday night prices for Uber or take an equally pricey cab home or risk New York subway at this time of night.

 

“Fuck,” Camila whispers as she takes her phone out to check Uber.

 

“What’s wrong?” Lauren asks as she slings her backpack over her shoulder, approaching Camila with her keys in her hand, ready to lock the building up. Camila looks up and briefly wonders how someone can look good in a blue and white striped button-up polo shirt and gray pants (their lab’s custodian uniform).

 

“I missed the last run of the circulator,” Camila sighs. “I’m gonna have to get Uber with this crazy price surge or risk the subway,” she pouts and proceeds to take her bottom lip between her teeth, a nervous tick Lauren has learned to recognize. A very tempting and distracting nervous tick, might she add.

 

“Well I can give you a ride,” Lauren offers. “I’m clocking out early anyway since I finished the floors quicker than I thought I would,” she says with a shrug.

 

Camila lets out a sigh of relief and with an exaggerated bat of her eyelashes coupled with her hands clasped tightly in front of her, “Please, if you would be so kind. That would be much appreciated,” she pleads comically.

 

“You sure you don’t want to be an actress instead?” she quips while lightly shoving her. _Lightly_ is a relative word however and with Camila’s (lack of) coordination, she nearly takes a fall face-first and sees her life flash before her eyes before she feels strong arms wrap around her and the rush of sweet-smelling vanilla invade her senses. “Whoa, Camila,” Lauren says still holding onto the other girl. “I didn’t even push you that hard,” she ends up laughing at the other girl as she steadies her and finally lets go.

 

Camila just pouts and crosses her arms, “I could have died, Lauren! My coordination is like that of a baby deer, you can’t just mess with me like that.”

 

“Okay, princess,” Lauren says holding the door open for Camila, “Noted: Camila Cabello is fragile. Please handle with care,” she chuckles as Camila wills the blush that creeps up her cheeks at Lauren’s words away.

 

\--

 

Camila knows she’s a pretty smart girl. Again, Columbia Med is the real deal. She can be very forgetful about things that doesn’t concern cells and biological pathways, however. Things like remembering to bring her house keys before she leaves the house. She shares a town house with her roommate, Dinah, who just so happens to be out of town and won’t be coming back until that Saturday evening.

 

So now, she’s standing in front of her door, with her forehead leaning against it, praying to the heavens above that it could magically open for her. It’s nearing one in the morning and she’s been up since seven yesterday and she just wants to lay her overworked body down.

 

Lauren is sitting in her car watching Camila as she bangs her head against her front door. She gets out of the car when she figures Camila has probably done enough damage to her head and walks up to the brunette, “I don’t think that’s how doors work.”

 

“Shit,” Camila turns around with her hand on her heart. “You scared me, what the hell, Lauren. I thought you left.”

 

“Well I wanted to make sure you got in your house safely first,” she explains and Camila’s gaze softens. Lauren makes it obvious that she looks at the locked door and then back to Camila’s defeated expression and says, “And it looks like that was a good decision on my part. Did you lock yourself out?”

 

Camila just bows her head and mutters a low, “yes.”

 

Lauren’s mouth curves into a small smile and says, “Would you like to stay over at my place for the night? We can work this out tomorrow morning, when we’re both not running on six hours of sleep combined.”

 

Camila thinks about it and well, she discovers there’s not much she’d say no to when it comes to Lauren.

 

\--

 

Lauren’s place is a single-person loft that has an open floor plan so the bedroom/living room is basically in the same area as the kitchen. It’s essentially an only-slightly bigger room than a bedroom in a normal-sized house with its own bathroom. She lives in New York so to have her own place like this feels like she’s living in a mansion. She just hopes Camila doesn’t mind the tight space.

 

“So um-,” Lauren starts. “I live by myself and I only really use this place to sleep so I don’t have like a separate couch or anything, but if you feel uncomfortable sharing a bed, you can stay in mine and I can lay down a few blankets on the floo-” she starts to ramble self-consciously once Camila has gotten a good look around the place.

 

“Don’t be silly, Laur” Camila says while still admiring the place. It’s very small but it’s also very cozy and she noticed that the little decorations and posters are very _Lauren_ and she can’t help but think she’s been given a rare chance to see another side to Lauren. “Of course I’ll share a bed with you. You’ve already helped me out so much this evening, I’m not really in a position to be demanding,” she chuckles.

 

“Okay,” Lauren says relieved, she really didn’t want to sleep on the floor. “Well, the bathroom is that way,” she gestures to the far side of the room “And I have some clothes you can borrow in the bottom drawer of my dresser.”

 

“Sweet,” Camila says as she heads to the dresser.

 

\--

 

Lauren finds out the painful way that she might have been better off on the floor. She wakes up a few times during the night only to find one of Camila’s limbs haphazardly strewn across her face, or her stomach, and every once in a while, she wakes up with half of Camila’s body on top of her. Lauren, in her tired and sleepy state, goes only short of throwing Camila’s body off of her own and she learns that the brunette is a very heavy sleeper.

 

When she wakes up thirty minutes before her alarm with Camila wrapped around her like a koala, she decides it’s not worth trying to go back to sleep. She carefully pries Camila’s arms and legs from her and moves on to the bathroom to get ready for her day. When she gets out of the bathroom, she’s met with the smell of brewing coffee and a sleepy Camila sat on one of her dining chairs, rubbing her eyes with her hands.

 

“Good morning,” Lauren says walking to sit across from Camila. “I didn’t think you’d be up for a while. You’re the heaviest sleeper I’ve ever seen, I had to make sure you were still alive before I got up,” she laughs lightly while pouring herself a cup of coffee.

 

Camila frowns a little and furrows her brow, scrunching up her nose when she says, “It got cold,” she rasps, voice still thick with sleep. Lauren smiles at how sleepy and confused Camila looks. After a few minutes of eating some light breakfast in comfortable silence, Camila finally notices that Lauren is dressed like she’s going somewhere. It’s only seven-thirty in the morning. And it’s a Saturday.

 

“Do you go to work on the weekends too or…” Camila trails.

 

Lauren cleans up their dishes and says, “Um no, I go to this thing on Saturday mornings. You can stay here and sleep or rest or whatever, I know you’ve had many long nights these last few weeks. We’ll sort out your key situation when I get back around noon.” Lauren wipes her hands on a kitchen towel and is getting her stuff ready to go when Camila says,

 

“Wait, ‘this thing,” Camila says, making air quotes with her fingers. “That’s suspiciously vague, Lo” she smiles teasingly.

 

Lauren is caught off guard with the warm feeling that spreads through her with the nickname. She feels the words leave Camila’s mouth and permeate her being like an all-encompassing fog that muddles her brain. She shakes her thoughts away and says, “Yeah, it’s no big deal. It’s just this place I help out with when I can.”

 

“Okay, if you secretly run a drug cartel, I won’t judge you. I promise, I know times are hard,” Camila says with a smirk putting her hands up as if to say she’s surrendering in probing about this thing that Lauren does on Saturdays.

 

“Not a drug cartel, just a small prostitution business thing to help out with the bills, you know” Lauren says with a straight face.

 

After a few seconds of looking at each other seriously, they both burst out laughing. “Okay, seriously,” Camila manages to get out when her laughter subsides, “Is it like personal, because if it is, I totally get it. I won’t ask any more. But if it’s nothing like that, I’m just curious” she shrugs.

 

“Okay, um-” Lauren shuffles in her place a little, running her hand through her hair and flipping it to one side as a sign that she’s getting a little nervous. “I volunteer at this homeless shelter,” she finishes in a quiet voice as if she just confessed to being a serial killer.

 

Of course she volunteers at a homeless shelter. Because she doesn’t have enough going for her. So apparently, she’s not only incredibly smart and hot as fuck and pretty and adorable, she also part-times as Mother Theresa on the weekends, because why the fuck not. Camila is really close to doing something reckless, like kissing Lauren, or burying her hands in her hair - or somewhere else.

 

“Oookay,” Camila drags out. “Well, I don’t have anything else to do, so if you don’t mind, can I come with you?”

 

Lauren looks up surprised, “Yeah, sure. They’re always looking for volunteers,” she says with a wide smile.

 

\--

 

Lauren walks in the shelter and is immediately brought into an elderly Hispanic woman’s arms, “Lauren, mija, I’m so glad you could stop by,” she says. The woman looks to be in her fifties and she has a full head of powder-white hair neatly contained in a bun. The jaded crow lines around her eyes lets Camila know she’d lived a life not without worries but filled with laughter nonetheless. She has an amiable smile and her bright hazel eyes twinkle with years of wisdom.

 

They pull apart and Camila approaches Lauren, standing to the older girl’s side while fiddling with her fingers, not really sure how to act. “Mima, this is my friend, Camila,” Lauren says with a slight Cuban accent and wow it’s suddenly hot in the room Camila thinks.

 

Camila goes in for a handshake but gets taken in for a hug instead. She sees Lauren looking at her with a soft smile over the woman’s shoulders and she feels inexplicable affection course through her veins. Lauren’s gaze is unwavering and gentle and just so _soft_ that Camila feels like she’s suffocating in the best way.

 

The woman finally lets her go and coos, “Oh, mija, you’re absolutely beautiful.” Camila blushes and Lauren just looks at the pair completely endeared. The woman looks back at Lauren and winks, “You did a good job with this one.”

 

Camila blushes even more, she’s sure everyone in the room can feel the heat radiating off her face by now. “ _Mima_ ,” Lauren says exasperatedly, “I just said she’s a friend.”

 

“Right, _friend_ ’” the woman says, “Is that what the kids call it these days?” She pretends to think and snaps her fingers, trying to remember something, “It’s like a – oh what did that show call it – friends with strings? Or strings benefits?” she says with a confused face.

 

“Oh my gosh, _Mima,_ ” Lauren says, now blushing herself, “Can we not do this today, please?”

 

“Oh I’m just messing with you, Lauren,” the woman says with a light laugh. “Anyway, you can call me Ms. Maria, or if you’re comfortable enough, call me _Mima_ ,” she addresses Camila with a squeeze of her shoulder.

 

\--

 

Camila and Lauren are working side by side preparing the food that is about to be served for breakfast when Camila nudges Lauren, “So what else do you do on your day off,” she asks the green-eyed girl with a hint of teasing in her voice.

 

“Save kittens? Secretly work on the cure for cancer?” the brunette asks as she cracks some hard-boiled eggs.

 

Lauren shakes her head and flicks some water on Camila. “Hey!” Camila says and retaliates by flicking some of the bread crumbs by the table at Lauren. “Camz!” Lauren says while laughing and holding her hands up, catching Camila’s wrists when she tries to smear some on the dark-haired girl’s face.

 

“Alright lovebirds, save the foreplay for when you’re alone please,” Ms. Maria casually says as she walks past them to set a tray of food by the far end of the table. Both girls flush red and immediately go back to work.

 

Lauren clears her throat and says, “This place is really important to me.” Camila’s attention is immediately taken by Lauren when she hears the seriousness in her voice.

 

“I made the mistake of thinking my parents were going to be accepting of me and came out to them in the beginning of the summer before college. They immediately kicked me out and essentially ostracized me from our community and the rest of our family friends so I was practically homeless for a period of time, basically from the start of the summer to the beginning of the semester, during which I could live on campus because I secured a full ride” Lauren explains with a small crack in her voice.

 

Camila looks at her with a mix of rage and sympathy bubbling inside her, but most of all, she feels her heart clench at hearing about what Lauren has gone through.

 

“I didn’t have anywhere else to go so I used some of my savings for a trip to New York and thought I’d make it work here and just wait it out until I could start school. Mima took me in the shelter and basically helped me survive those couple months. So now, I try to do my best to help out here,” she looks up at Camila with a shrug and a weak smile.

 

Without even thinking about it, Camila takes off the plastic gloves on her hands and reaches one hand up to delicately wipe a tear that has escaped Lauren’s watery green eyes with her thumb and whispers so only Lauren can hear, “I’m so sorry about your parents,” she says sincerely. “I want you to know that you’re not alone, fuck them, alright? _I’m_ here for you.”

 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Lauren assures her, wiping some of Camila’s tears that she hadn’t even realized were falling too. “I’m okay now and I’m happy. Thank you for being…” Lauren trails off and swallows hard. Her smile is full of tenderness when she finishes, “Thank you for being you.”

 

\--

 

They’re cleaning up the place after breakfast when Camila looks up at the sound of booming laughter. Lauren is surrounded by some of the patrons that are yet to leave and laughing at something she’s saying. She’s gesticulating wildly with her arms and has got everyone’s attention on her. There’s a diversity to her audience in that there are men who are dressed with tattered clothing while holding onto trash bags that hold whatever belongings they may have, while others are dressed with slightly better clothes and have tattoos on their arms and faces, a few of which Camila notices, are sporting teardrop tattoos by their eyes.

 

As tough as these men look, they’re all looking at Lauren like kindergarteners during story time.

Lauren’s skin is bright and glowing under the harsh fluorescent lights and Camila can hear faint police sirens in the background, a subtle reminder to Camila that despite the warm and comforting environment Lauren has made with her presence and her smile and her stories, they are still in the dangerous part of the neighborhood.

 

Camila watches them and can’t help but smile.

 

“She’s a keeper, no?” Ms. Maria sneaks up on Camila and it’s like the brunette has to forcibly turn her attention away from Lauren before she’s able to answer,

 

“Huh?”

 

Ms. Maria just shakes her head and says, “Lauren can be very closed off, I’m glad she has you.” Camila is about to respond when the older woman says, “As a friend, of course,” she adds with a wink. Camila looks down with a hint of a smile and says,

 

“I’m glad I have her too.”

 

“As you probably know, she’s had a pretty rough time since getting disowned by her parents. She’s gone through so much and still loves like she’s never going to get hurt,” Ms. Maria says while fondly watching Lauren.

 

“She cares so much about the people around her that I worry who is there to take care of her, you know?” Ms. Maria continues while turning to Camila, “She might be hard to crack at first, but once you’re in, she loves with all of her heart.” She takes a pause before saying,

 

“Take care of her, okay mija?” the older woman asks Camila with nothing but genuine sincerity in her eyes.

 

Camila wants to say, of course, she’ll take care of her. She’s her friend. That’s what friends do. She wants to clarify that despite the insinuations throughout the morning and the subtle flirting between them, they’re just friends. Instead, her thoughts come out as,

 

“I’ll take care of her with all of my being, Ms. Maria. I know she deserves so much more,” she says sincerely. There’s a glint to Ms. Maria’s eyes like she had gotten what she wanted from Camila and they continue to work to get the shelter ready for new group of people coming in for the lunch hour.

 

\--

 

Ever since their time at the shelter, there has been a noticeable amount of increased tension between Lauren and Camila. It’s making the air thick around Camila and the heat between her thighs uncomfortable.

 

It’s like this constant heavy wave of sexual tension that rises and ebbs within Camila whenever she’s around Lauren. The older girl’s eyes pull her into a trance that seems to keep the rest of her body’s fibers anchored towards the green-eyed girl. The taut atmosphere is pulling at Camila’s nerves in every direction and she wonders how much longer her body can take being strained without snapping.

 

She’s being suffocated and she doesn’t think she minds, especially if it’s going to be by Lauren’s thighs. Lauren, for her part, is either a fantastic actress or is completely oblivious to the smothering air.

 

It doesn’t help that Lauren makes the most mundane things look so sensual. Camila finds herself staring at Lauren’s mouth when the other girl’s talking and the way her pink tongue glides along her luscious lips when she’s trying to keep them moist completely captivates the brunette. Sometimes, they’ll hang out in the lounge during Lauren’s break and the green-eyed girl will play with Camila’s pens and the brunette finds herself entranced in the way Lauren’s long, slender fingers will slide along the pen, back and forth. Camila learns Lauren can get really restless with her fingers. She thinks of a few ways she can help Lauren with that.

 

So, yeah, Camila is feeling taut and frustrated and she’s not a hundred percent sure she’s not going to jump Lauren anytime soon.

 

She figures some completely platonic time with Lauren in a setting where she’s not alone with the dark-haired girl can help dampen down her frustration a bit. She decides to invite Lauren to a small symposium event where she has a brief presentation about her research. While they’re walking out of the event, with Camila holding her poster tube in one hand and a box of take out Lauren had ordered for them to eat back in the younger girl’s place, they run into someone.

 

“Lauren, hey!” the girl says as she engulfs Lauren in a hug that’s a little too long and a little too tight for Camila’s liking. “It’s so good to see you,” the girl, who’s keeping _both_ hands on Lauren’s arms, says with a megawatt smile.

 

“Hey, Tanya,” Lauren greets with a wide smile of her own. “How’ve you been,” she asks. And, okay, is Camila like chopped liver or what?

 

“I’ve been good,” girl with the perfect teeth says. She’s got beautiful, flawless ebony skin and her body is banging, Camila notes. “Though, I _have_ missed you,” she says with a flirty smile and a brush of her slim fingers down Lauren arms and Camila finds herself imagining swinging the tube in her hand and hitting this girl who is shamelessly touching her Lauren. Not really her Lauren, but who cares about semantics?

 

Camila clears her throat and Lauren startles, as if she’d just remembered she wasn’t alone. “Oh yeah, Tanya, this is my friend, Camila,” the green-eyed girl gestures to the brunette, whose quiet seething seems to be unnoticed. Tanya subtly rakes her eyes up and down Camila’s body with a kinked eyebrow and says with a tight-lipped smile, “Hey.”

 

“Hi, it’s nice to mee-,” Camila tries to say.

 

“So, who’s keeping you busy these days, huh?” Tanya interrupts, turning her attention to Lauren once again.

 

Lauren rubs the back of her neck and throws a subtle glance in Camila’s direction that goes unseen by the brunette because she’s too busy staring holes into Tanya’s head. “Um, no one really,” Lauren finally says.

 

Tanya’s phone rings and she looks at it briefly before she sighs out, “Ugh, gotta take this. But keep in touch, Laur. You know where to find me if you ever wanna relive the good times,” she winks and _finally_ walks away.

 

Camila stays quiet on their way to her place and Lauren breaks the silence hesitantly, “So um- are you still good for Saturday this week?” Lauren asks unsurely, her eyes trying to gauge Camila’s reaction.

 

“Um, you know what, I actually don’t think I can come this week, something came up,” Camila says, her tone cold and too aloof for Lauren’s taste.

 

“Oh, that sucks. The boys were kind of looking for-” Lauren tries to say, but Camila’s bad mood is getting to her and she snaps,

 

“It’s one time, Laur. I said I was busy. Why do you have to make me feel guilty?”

 

“I- I’m sorry,” Lauren says with her head down. “I wasn’t trying to make you-”

 

“Why don’t you ask Tanya? I’m sure she’d love to go” Camila says, her voice dripping with irritation. “You guys are close, right?”

 

“I wouldn’t say close,” Lauren says weakly. She looks at the other girl’s demeanor and furrows her brows. “We had this thing, but it was never serious.”

 

“Of course,” Camila scoffs.

 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Lauren asks with a flash of hurt in her voice.

 

“Oh come on, Lo,” Camila insists, still unaware that she’s touching on a sensitive topic for Lauren. “You’ve told me stories about these girls, they practically come in and out of your place and you go through them like a merry-go-round, right?” she says, finally looking at Lauren and seeing that she’s stopped walking. Instead, she’s standing with her fists closed and her jaw clenched.

 

Camila quickly tries to backtrack and says, “I didn’t mean it like-“

 

“No, you’re right,” Lauren says with a curt tone. “You know what, I don’t think I can come to your place today after all, I just remembered something.”

 

“Lo” Camila says dejectedly, her actions and words finally catching up to her.

 

“No it’s fine,” Lauren says with a derisive laugh. “I forgot I had an appointment with one of the hundreds of girls I sleep with on a daily basis. It’s cool, maybe I can pencil you in some time when you’re free,” she says with a quiet but steady tone that send shivers down Camila’s back.

 

Lauren walks away before Camila can say anything and the brunette’s heart aches at seeing Lauren’s retreating figure.

 

The next day, when Camila has to stay late in the lab again, she notices Lauren making an extra effort to avoid her throughout her shift, only cleaning the labs she’s using when the green-eyed girl knows she’s done with the room. Camila also doesn’t appreciate how every lab room she needed to use that day was locked.

 

So now, she’s standing in front of Lauren’s apartment door on Saturday night, holding a bag of take-out Pad Thai. She’d contemplated on surprising Lauren at the shelter, but she figured Lauren wouldn’t appreciate her showing up when she knows the other girl is pissed at her and she didn’t want Lauren to talk to her only because she felt pressured.

 

She’s been standing for about ten minutes, trying to gather her words and rehearsing her apology when the door swings open and Lauren comes out, nearly bumping into Camila.

 

“Camila,” she says confusedly. “What are you doing here?”

 

Camila looks down and fiddles with the bag in her hands while biting her bottom lip. After a few seconds, she finally looks up and Lauren is looking at her with an expectant look and arms crossed against her chest.

 

The brunette takes a deep breath and starts with, “I’m sorry. I hope you believe me when I say I don’t think any less of you because of – of you know, how many people you date, or you’ve been with, or whatever -  I – just, um,” Camila lets out a frustrated breath, running her hand through her hair while shutting her eyes closed.

 

“I’m just sorry. I didn’t mean to be so insensitive. I have this bad habit of not thinking about what I’m saying and trying to hurt the other person when I’m angry, and I was just being moody and stupid, and I hope you can let me make it up you” Camila finally sighs out dejectedly.

 

Lauren looks at her and her gaze softens at the way Camila seems to be really beating herself up over their fight. Truth be told, she’d forgiven Camila the moment she opened the door and saw the brunette standing right outside her place. She had missed Camila so much in the last few days that they hadn’t talked that she finds herself feeling like she’d just lifted a ton of weight off her shoulders now that they’re talking again.

 

“It’s okay,” she finally says with a small smile. “We all says things we don’t mean every once in a while.”

 

“It’s actually not okay, but I’m not gonna pass up the opportunity to make this right again,” Camila says with a small smile. She looks at how Lauren is dressed to go and asks, “Were you on your way somewhere or…?”

 

“Yeah, I was just about to grab dinner,” Lauren responds.

 

“Perfect timing,” Camila says with a smile. “I brought Pad Thai. It was going to be a last ditch effort for your forgiveness if my speech hadn’t worked,” Camila says with a cheeky smile while holding up the bag like it’s a prize on _The Price is Right_. Lauren looks at her and shakes her head,

 

“Damn Cabello, you already know my weakness,” Lauren quips while re-opening her door and moving aside to let the other girl in.

 

“Comes in pretty handy,” Camila replies as she moves past Lauren after throwing her a wink.

 

\--

 

After making up, the tension between the two picks right where it left off. Truth be told, Camila’s not really sure why she hadn’t made a move yet. She knows Lauren is bi (she got kicked out of her house for it). But for some reason, Camila is scared that she’s just reading into this whole thing completely wrong.

 

Then she thinks about the fact that ever since making up, Lauren seems to be clingier and generally touchier than usual. There’s always a hand on her lower back when they’re walking out of doors, lingering hugs and touches, and a lot of staring. Like, Lauren stares at her a lot and most of the time, the green-eyed girl doesn’t know that Camila knows she’s staring because Lauren’s eyes are locked on her lips. And maybe that’s what scares Camila the most. What if Lauren _does_ like her back? She doesn’t know if she’d be able to handle all of _that_.

 

“So what are you doing for the holidays?” Camila says one night while they’re hanging out at the lounge.

 

“Um-,” Lauren starts, scrunching her brows and thinks about her plans. “I usually don’t have plans for the holidays. I mean, it’s not like I have family. So I just work, you know, get that holiday pay,” she says with a weak smile. “But since Christmas falls on the weekend this year, I’ll probably just catch up on some sleep.”

 

Camila’s heart tightens at the reminder that despite the fact that she gets to see a happy and carefree Lauren most of the time, the older girl is actually dealing with a lot more than just school and work. She clears her throat and keeps her eyes on her fingers when she asks,

 

“Well, this is completely up to you and you can say no, I promise it won’t hurt my feelings,” Camila starts to say nervously. “But if you want, and like I said, if you think it’s too much or too soon, or we aren’t there yet in our friendship, I just wanted you to know it’s compl-”

 

“Camz,” Lauren laughs a little. “Just ask me already.”

 

“Um, well I usually drive down to Miami for the holidays, you know, to come home,” Camila explains. “I know it’s a long drive, but I don’t really like driving anyone else’s car when I’m home so the drive doesn’t really bother me. But, if you don’t have plans and you can take a few days off for the holidays, you can come with me? I definitely won’t mind the company,” she finishes as she looks up with a smile and hopeful brown eyes. She really doesn’t want Lauren to be alone, she’d meant it more than she thought when she said she would take care of the other girl.

 

Lauren is looking at her with an unreadable expression. The green-eyed girl doesn’t know what she did to deserve someone that always looks out for her like Camila does and although her first instinct is to decline, she finds herself saying,

 

“If it truly isn’t a bother…” Lauren responds with a bashful smile that just tugs at Camila’s heart strings.

 

“No of course it’s not,” Camila says happily. “Oh my gosh, this is so exciting. I’m gonna make you listen to every boy band to ever exist in history for twenty whole hours!” Camila exclaims with a cheeky smile while raising both hands in the air.

 

\--

 

Camila finds herself wide awake in her childhood bedroom while Lauren is snoring softly next to her. It had been a very long and tiring, but cheerful and exciting last few days in Miami. They arrived in Miami around midnight and got about six hours of sleep before the entire Cabello household was up and about. The Cabellos host the Christmas holidays every year and so just about every nook and cranny of their home was filled with several generations of Cuban and Mexican heritage: from _bisabuelo/as_ to _abuelo/as_ to _pap_ _ás_ and _mamas_ , to _t_ _ío/as_ , and _sobrina/os_ , and so on and so on. It was a full house.

 

Camila’s family has always been welcoming and never really been hard to please. Still, seeing Lauren interact effortlessly as if _she_ had grown up with Camila’s cousins and it was _her_ who is Camila’s abuela’s favorite, well it clarified one thing to Camila. She is not only attracted to the older girl, she’s undoubtedly falling for her too.

 

_“Mija! You’re finally home!” Camila drops her bags and runs straight into the arms of who Lauren assumes is her mother, as she carries both of their bags towards the front of the house. She smiles softly at the younger girl and the brunette’s mom catches her eye as she keeps Camila in her arms._

_“Oh hi, you must be Lauren,” Camila’s mom says as she brings the other girl into a hug as well. Lauren returns the hug and smiles unsurely over the older woman’s shoulder while Camila just grins widely and brings her two thumbs up._

_“We’ve heard so much about you. I’m glad Camila is finally bringing someone home,” the woman says with smile and a glimmer in her eye._

_“Mami,” Camila stresses while her mom just waves her off. “Oh I just mean I’m glad you’re not all alone in that big ole city, mija” she quips._

_“Well, I hope I’m not intruding Mrs. Cabello and you have a lovely home,” Lauren says as they walk in through the threshold, Lauren still the only one carrying their bags._

_“Oh don’t be silly, call me Sinu” the woman smiles warmly._

_“Kaki!” a mini Camila comes running down from upstairs, jumping from the second to the last step to wrap actual Camila into a koala hug._

_“Sofi, it’s almost midnight,” Sinu tuts. “I told you to go to bed hours ago, mija,” she says sternly._

_Sofi clings onto her sister and pouts dramatically, “But I miss Kaki.”_

_“Oh, it’s okay Sof, I missed you too,” Camila says as she hugs her tightly and then says, “I promise we’ll play all day tomorrow, okay? Go to bed,” she finishes while hugging her once more and sending her off. Before going up the stairs however, Sofi goes up to Lauren and says with a wide smile,_

_“You must be Ms. Pretty Green Eyes. Kaki talks about you a lot. She says-”_

_“Ookay, Sof, that’s enough,” Camila laughs awkwardly while clamping both her hands around Sofi’s mouth. She throws her mom a glare when she hears her snicker to the side and Lauren is just looking at her with a kinked eyebrow and an amused smile._

 

Throughout the last few days, Camila couldn’t help but watch Lauren and how the dark-haired girl wove her way into the hearts of the most important people in Camila’s life with absolute ease and grace. People naturally gravitated towards her and constantly surrounded her all day, listening with eager ears and bright eyes. She looked especially at home among the kids, playing with them and teaching them how to play the piano while dressed in a reindeer sweater and a bright red Santa hat and Camila _knows_ she’s falling.

 

_“Well you’re definitely smitten,” Camila’s abuela on her mom’s side takes a seat next to her on the couch as she sips on her tea. “I don’t blame you though, your girlfriend is very pretty.”_

_Camila’s eyes widen and she struggles to say, “Um, ‘buela, no,” she laughs nervously while running a hand through her hair. “We’re not, um-, she’s just, we’re like-”_

_“Oh Camilita,” her grandma says as she reaches out a hand to rub her back and calm her down, “I may be old but I know the look of love if I ever see one,” she smiles. “It’s how your abuelo used to look at me everyday of his life before he passed.”_

_Love?_

_She’s not – she’s falling, yes. But does she love Lauren? She can’t yet, right? They’re not even together._

Lauren impressed the mothers with her skills in the kitchen, earning several _Oh you’ll make such a good wife, mija_ type of comments throughout the day and Camila _swears_ she sees Lauren blush and throw her a quick look. She also managed to get into the exclusive club of Camila’s _t_ _íos_ , easily baiting them with her knowledge on various sports, speaking on touchdowns and batting averages and whatever it is sports people talk about. Camila can’t help but imagine coming back to Miami with Lauren under different circumstances.

 

She looks over to her left and smiles when she sees Lauren move closer. Lauren is on her stomach and snuggles close to Camila so her face is tucked in between Camila’s shoulder and neck while the rest of their bodies are kept mostly apart. They’re barely touching and Camila already finds it hard to breathe.

 

After a tearful goodbye filled with hugs and her mom begging her to _Please come visit again soon, mija_ and Sofi sending her off with an _I’m gonna miss you so much, Kaki. Can we keep Lauren forever? She’s more fun than you sometimes_ , they’re finally on the road again.

 

They’re in the middle of rural Pennsylvania when a strong storm leads them to get stranded behind a closed-off back road after several trees and telephone lines block the roadway as a result of a landslide from the surrounding hills. The severe flood warning blowing up their phones pushes them to take a detour in a side road and stop by the closest inn they come across.

 

“Fuck,” Camila says frantically searching her bag as Lauren pulls in to park at one of the spots in the inn’s parking lot. She notes that they have a full house and she hopes there’s room for them still.

 

“What’s wrong?” Lauren asks.

 

“Ugh,” Camila says as she leans back and hits her head in the head rest repeatedly in frustration.

 

“Okay, you really gotta stop abusing your head like that,” Lauren says as she reaches out and puts her hand in between Camila’s head and the head rest. “You need that for medical school, you know,” she chuckles while subconsciously wrapping her hand around the back of Camila’s neck lightly and rubbing soothing circles on the skin just above the brunette’s shirt with her thumb.

 

Camila relaxes immediately and looks at Lauren. The world around them sounds like it’s falling apart and Camila has never felt safer. The downpour is relentlessly thrumming against the roof, the winds are howling around them, and the rain is steadily drumming against the windows of the car, but she feels absolutely secure. She thinks it may have something to do with the way Lauren is holding her gaze and the way her touch is keeping her grounded.

 

Lauren’s eyes look luminous under the single light bulb pouring in through the front from the inn’s porch and the reflection of the water gliding down the windshield is casting mesmeric patterns on Lauren’s face, making her look absolutely ethereal. In Camila’s world of stressful and rainy days, Lauren is her constant source of peace, her own personal serenity in the midst of storms.

 

Camila smiles lightly at Lauren then looks down at her hands, “I’m like ninety-nine percent sure I left my purse at Mami’s house,” she pouts.

 

Lauren laughs lightly, “Oh Cabello, you and your forgetful self. It’s okay, I’ll spot you this one time,” she says easily. “You can pay me later. I know you’re good for it,” she winks and wow the tension is back full force. God damn Lauren and her stupid, beautiful self.

 

Lauren then grabs her jacket from the back seat and runs out of the car without putting it on, confusing Camila until the older girl runs to her side of the car and opens her door, both hands holding up her jacket where Camila can step out under it. Camila quickly grabs their stuff and gets out of the car, huddling close to Lauren as the green-eyed girl holds the jacket over both of them, most of it over Camila, if Lauren’s soaked hair and clothes are any indication.

 

They rush inside and see that there’s a line at the desk. Lauren grabs Camila’s hand and brings them both to the end of the line, not letting go even after they’re stood in line. Camila is smiling at how perfectly their hands fit together when Lauren mutters under her breath, “Shit.”

 

Camila looks at her and raises her eyebrow. “Look over there,” Lauren says as she raises their intertwined hands to gesture towards a bulletin board behind the lady in the front desk, her other hand holding the bags she’d taken from Camila the moment they were inside. “Those rates are crazy, I don’t think I have enough money.” Lauren has been cutting it close on her finances in the last week because she took a few days off and she had to recently pay for the books she’ll need for the upcoming semester.

 

Lauren’s eyes scan the board and comes across a note that says _Discount for Newlyweds_. Bingo. She looks around and realizes the décor of the inn is very homey and gives off a vibe of a getaway house and she realizes she’s surrounded by all kinds of couples.

 

“Next,” the old lady at the front calls out.

 

“Alright, follow my lead,” Lauren whispers in Camila’s ear, the proximity of Lauren’s mouth to her face distracting the brunette for a few seconds and before she realizes it, she’s being dragged to the front.

 

“Hello, welcome to _The Lovers’ Lodge_ , how may I help you?” the old lady smiles.

 

Lauren squints at the woman’s nametag and says sweetly, “Martha, what a lovely name! Just one room, with one bed,” she adds conspiratorially, “for my new wife and I.” Camila looks at her with wide eyes. Lauren’s words fall from her lips with ease as they travel through the air and dives right into Camila’s heart, pulling at her heart strings and her lungs and literally taking her breath away. She’s brought back when Lauren squeezes her hand. The brunette takes a while to catch up, but when she does, she takes a deep breath before gently leaning over to rest her head on Lauren’s shoulder and smiling at the lady at the front.

 

“You guys are married?” an older man comes up behind Martha and squints his eyes at the couple. “How?”

 

Lauren is about to answer when Martha cuts in with “Harold, they’re lesbians” she says with an eye roll.

 

Harold crosses his arms and says curtly, “Well, we need proof that you guys are married for you to get the discount. Usually, matching rings are enough for us.”

 

“Um, well actually,” Lauren says trying to think on her feet. “We just sent our rings back to be re-sized. They sort of messed up our orders, but I can assure you, sir, I love my wife very much,” she says, looking into Camila’s eyes sincerely and placing a tender kiss on her forehead, causing Camila to close her eyes and her cheeks to blush.

 

“Oh Harold, they’re obviously in love,” Martha says happily, “You ladies can have the discount,” she winks at them. The comment throws Lauren off guard but she recovers quickly and smiles, “Thank you Martha. You’re such a sweetheart.”

 

The inn is designed to look more like a house than a hotel and since the owners are old-fashioned and very traditional, they invited the couples who are staying in the lodge for a huge home-cooked dinner. Lauren and Camila find themselves sitting around a large dining table, just talking with other couples in the inn while having dessert.

 

There’s a variety of different couples that range from young newlyweds to couples who have recently celebrated or are nearing their golden anniversary. Lauren’s eyes marvel at the amount of love that surrounds her and she can’t help sending Camila a fond smile.

 

“So, what’s everyone’s story? I mean, how did y’all meet,” a man who looks to be in his mid twenties asks the table with a Southern accent, breaking Camila and Lauren’s staring contest. Lauren listens in carefully as she hears couples talk about how they were high school sweethearts, or how another couple met while the woman was working as an army nurse and her husband was sent to their station when his troops got caught in an ambush, or how this _very_ young couple said they defied their parents and decided to elope.

 

She’s enjoying the stories so much she doesn’t realize everyone is now looking at her expectantly. “Lo,” Camila nudges her arm and she realizes it’s their turn.

 

When she just looks at Camila helplessly, the brunette takes the lead and says, “Well, the first time I met Lo officially, aside from just seeing her in passing in the building where we work, was when she saved me. I’m basically her damsel in distress,” she says dramatically with a hand to her forehead, eliciting a round of chuckles around the table. Camila looks at her and winks. “From then on, I got the impression she’d be important to me,” she finishes genuinely.

 

“What about you, Lauren” Martha asks. “What was your first impression of Camila when you so-called saved her,” she chuckles.

 

“Actually, the first time I got an impression of Camila was way before we had spoken,” she says candidly while Camila turns to her with furrowed eyebrows. Lauren casually drapes her arm around the back of Camila’s chair and continues.

 

“I was walking on my way to work when I saw Camila coming out of the building to head home. My first thought was, as I assume is everyone’s first thought when they see her, is that ‘wow, that girl is really beautiful,’” Lauren says with a fond smile. “Then, I see her read something from her phone and she does this stupid little dance that looks more awkward than anything,” she says as Camila lightly pushes her face away while muttering _Oh my gosh, Lo_. “And I was completely smitten. From then on, and she doesn’t know this,” Lauren says with a pause while looking at Camila, “but I made sure to look out for her whenever she worked late. And when she needed my help that one night, I knew that was my chance,’” she says finally looking back out to the rest of the guests. “So I took that opportunity and the rest is history. Seeing how happy I made her while helping her out made me realize there’s not much I wouldn’t do to see that smile,” she concludes.

 

While everyone in the table coos at the story, Camila is looking at her, stunned and completely captivated. _This is fake_ , she tells herself. Lauren is embellishing to cover for their whole married act. This is all for the discount. The hammering in her chest and the fiery feeling that starts in her stomach and courses through veins and blazes in her nerves tell her otherwise.

 

She’s jolted out of her thoughts when Scott, the man who’d started the whole story-telling thing in the first place says, “Well that’s gotta deserve a kiss,” he smiles cheekily. The request is immediately picked up by the rest of the table and they all start cheering for a kiss.

 

Both girls immediately flush and Lauren turns away from Camila, looking at the people around her when she says, “Oh come on, guys. Are we in fifth grade?” she rolls her eyes.

 

The cheers continue and Lauren thinks she has to do something to satisfy them somehow so she turns to Camila and places a lingering kiss on her cheek.

 

“Boo!” the boys on the table yell out lightheartedly. “Giver her a real kiss!”

 

Soon, the whole table is chanting “KISS! KISS! KISS!” and Lauren feels overwhelmed and she doesn’t mind kissing Camila to keep up their act but she also doesn’t want to overstep any lin-

 

Her thoughts are cut off by slender fingers softly holding her jaw to face towards Camila and she isn’t prepared for the softest lips she’s ever felt move along her own. It takes her no time to reciprocate and she’s lost in Camila’s velvety lips when the brunette pulls away, looking as dazed as Lauren feels. She really didn’t have a say when her body instinctively leans forward to capture Camila’s lips again. This time, more forcefully, with more passion and Camila gasps into her mouth as Lauren’s hold on the back of her neck tightens. Lauren probes Camila’s swollen lips with her tongue and quickly swipes the inside of her mouth once she’s granted access.

 

The table had erupted into loud cheers and obnoxious celebrations since Camila first grabbed Lauren’s face and it’s when the laughter dies down and Martha says, “Alright, let’s save that for the bedroom, yeah?” that they finally pull apart. Lauren looks at Camila’s swollen lips and dark, dazed eyes and she feels a fire at the pit of her stomach, every nerve and particle of her body thrumming inside her to drag Camila to their room and take her all night.

 

\--

 

After dinner, Lauren and Camila wordlessly go back to their room, both still a little flushed from trying to assault each other’s mouths earlier. The air is thicker than ever and Camila makes a beeline for the shower without so much as a glance to Lauren.

 

Lauren, on the other hand, keeps her gaze at the closed bathroom door as if it would open on her silent command if she tried hard enough. She takes a few calming breaths to slow her heart and her _libido_ down and takes a seat on the bed. She doesn’t realize how long she’d been replaying the kiss in her head when she hears the shower getting shut off.

 

She immediately goes to the door and knocks hesitantly, “Hey Camz, are you done? Can I come in? I just need to do something real quick.” The door opens and she enters. And she swears she really didn’t come in with the intention of making a move or anything. She came in to – actually, she’s not sure. She just wanted to be in close proximity to the brunette. Any lingering innocent thoughts fly out the window though when she gets a proper look at the brunette.

 

Camila is in front of the mirror setting up everything she needs for her nightly routine with one hand while the other is haphazardly holding her towel up. She’s dressed in nothing but a very short towel that is only loosely wrapped around her lithe body because Lauren can very clearly see the way Camila’s tan back dips invitingly down her spine as the edge of the towel lies carelessly just above the brunette’s ass. She really didn’t do a good job of drying her hair at all because clear beads of water are cascading down her skin, her auburn hair flowing down her back in wet, wavy locks, making her back glisten and inviting Lauren towards her even more.

 

Lauren doesn’t stand a chance against her body’s reactions as she suddenly finds herself taking steps towards Camila and standing a little bit to her left but still right behind her that there’s barely any space between their bodies. She steels her gaze against Camila’s through the mirror as she trails the tips of her fingers down Camila’s arm, watching as her movement leaves a trail of goose bumps and the brunette’s breath hitches at the back of her throat and she stutters out,

 

“L-Laur, what are you doing?” Camila whispers and she can’t find the willpower to look away from Lauren’s gaze.

 

Lauren keeps her eyes on Camila’s as she continues to move her fingers along the brunette’s arm holding her towel. She grasps Camila’s hand tightly and pulls both of their hands down, stripping Camila naked as she holds her gaze while Camila gasps, but doing nothing otherwise to stop whatever is happening. The dark-haired girl rests one hand on Camila’s hip and uses the other to gently move Camila’s hair to the side and over her shoulder. Lauren turns her head and sucks on Camila’s neck as the brunette keels forward and grabs onto the counter to steady herself. Her eyes shut in pleasure as Lauren grazes her tongue over Camila’s silky skin after biting it and the older girl moans as if she’s getting off of pleasuring Camila.

 

“I think it’s time we address this tension, don’t you?” Lauren husks out in her ear. The younger girl forces her eyes open and manages to barely get out,

 

“Are you su-,” she struggles to find her words when she feels Lauren’s hands roam her body as she buries her face in Camila’s neck and continues to absolutely _devour_ her. “Is this what you really want?”

 

Lauren laughs, almost disbelievingly, then she turns her head back to the mirror and transfixes Camila’s gaze on her through the mirror,

 

“Eres divina, Camila,” she rasps while moving her hands to the underside of Camila’s boobs, lingering there with almost feathery-light touches before she moves them up and kneads the other girl’s breasts, causing Camila to inhale sharply and close her eyes. Lauren pinches her stiffening buds and says in a low voice, “Look at me, Camila.”

 

Camila’s whole body is aching and yearning for more of Lauren’s touch and she forces her eyes to meet Lauren’s again,

 

“Te deseo como no te imaginas,” Lauren whispers as she uses her hips to press herself into Camila, pushing the girl’s bare sex onto the cold counter, setting Camila’s nerves alight. Lauren’s hot breath in her ear and the girl’s warm hands on her body and everything that has led to this moment are almost enough to send Camila over the edge and she spins around abruptly, grabbing Lauren’s face and kissing her harshly as Lauren catches up and moves her hands around the younger girl’s waist, hoisting her on the counter while their eager tongues tousle with one another. They ravage each other’s mouths as their tongues swipe and delve into one another, while they exchange hot breaths, neither one wanting to pull away.

 

Camila’s hold on Lauren’s hair tightens as she feels the girl trap her bottom lip between her teeth and drag it out, the dark-haired girl immediately diving into her neck once she lets Camila’s lip go. Camila’s nerves are on overdrive and she’s breathing heavily as she leans backwards on her hands and tosses her head back in pleasure as Lauren puts her mouth around her left breast and sucks hard, hollowing her mouth and proceeding to nip on her hardened nipple. Lauren pulls back and marvels at the sight in front of her.

 

There is something so erotic about the fact that Lauren is still fully clothed while Camila is baring her stark naked body with her legs spread wide for Lauren to ravage. Camila’s eyes are shut tight, her swollen bottom lip, which has bite marks from both Lauren and Camila, are caught in between her teeth. She’s leaning on her hands with her chest heaving heavily as she arches her back so her perky boobs are splayed out in front of Lauren as a deep blush reddens Camila’s cheeks, neck, and chest. She looks absolutely wrecked in the most delicious way.

 

That night, Lauren gets what she’s been craving since seeing Camila for the first time and takes Camila over and over again until they’re too spent to move and Lauren is laying on top of the brunette, head in the crook of the younger girl’s neck, while Camila is rubbing her back soothingly and holding their sweat-slicked bodies together.

 

“That was like the best sex I’ve had in a while,” Lauren chuckles into Camila’s neck.

 

“ _You the best I ever had_ ,” Camila starts singing Drake’s _Best I Ever Had_ softly and Lauren lets out an endeared light laugh.

 

“You’re ridiculous,” Lauren says as she props herself on her elbows and hovers over Camila. They look into each other’s eyes softly and they know this is the start of something different for the both of them.

 

\--

 

After they burst the bubble of tension that seems to have taken over every moment they spent together, Lauren and Camila seamlessly move into a relationship filled with easy smiles and good times and just pure, genuine feeling of being content with finally being together.

 

Things don’t get weird until three months later when Camila is getting ready to leave for work.

 

Lauren had moved into Camila’s place a week before when her lease ended. Paying half the rent of Camila’s apartment was about the same amount of money Lauren was spending at her own single apartment and she’s essentially moved into the brunette’s place anyway, her clothes already taking up half of the other girl’s closet.

 

Lauren’s morning class has been cancelled so she doesn’t need to leave the apartment until later, but Camila has to come in early to start on an experiment that will take her all day (and probably into the night) to finish.

 

Camila stuffs her mouth with a granola bar while rushing around the apartment, picking up her coat, keys, and bag as Lauren just watches her fondly from where she’s sat at the breakfast table. Camila is almost ready to go when she realizes she doesn’t see her glasses anywhere.

 

“Fuck,” Camila mutters as she looks around, “Where did I put my glasses?”

 

“On top of your head, love,” Lauren says without even looking up from where she’d dipped her head to drink the milk from her cereal bowl.

 

Camila rolls her eyes and pulls hers glasses down as she approaches Lauren.

 

“Thanks, baby,” Camila says as she grabs Lauren’s face with both of her hands and plants a deep kiss on her lips, “I love you, bye!”  


Camila pulls back with wide eyes and sees that Lauren is mirroring her expression. She’s still holding Lauren’s face when she says “Um-, I mean,” Camila stutters. This is the first time either of them had said those words, even though Camila’s known for a while now that she does love Lauren. She just isn’t sure how deep Lauren’s feelings are for her so she had been keeping it to herself. Until now that is.

 

Then she lets go of Lauren’s face and makes a beeline for the door but the green-eyed girl grabs her arm lightly, “What did you just say,” she asks with an unreadable expression on her face.

 

“Um,” Camila says in a panicked voice, her eyes anywhere but on Lauren’s. “I said, ‘thank you!” and that’s it, I didn’t say anything after that,” she chuckles nervously. “I think you’re hearing things, you should get that checked out, Lo,” Camila says while pulling her arm away gently. “Well, would you look at the time!” she exclaims while examining her arm that does _not_ have her watch, “I really gotta go, bye!”

 

Lauren watches her go with a confused but amused look in her eyes. She shakes her head and continues with her breakfast.

 

\--

 

When Lauren comes in the lab later that day, she sees Camila for all of two seconds before the brunette not so subtly makes an abrupt turn and takes the far stairwell instead in an attempt to avoid the other girl. Lauren smiles to herself and proceeds to get her cleaning supplies ready.

 

About two hours later, Lauren is patiently waiting inside the lab room she knows Camila is working in while the other girl is in the bathroom. She sees Camila quietly enter the lab while looking behind her to see if the green-eyed girl is in the vicinity.

 

“Hey, baby,” Lauren says with a smirk.

 

“Shit!” Camila turns around with her hand on her heart, “You scared me, Lo! Why do you enjoy sneaking up on me?”

 

Lauren smiles and raises a perfectly-shaped her eyebrow, “Did you forget we work in the same place or something?”

 

Camila then realizes what’s happening and hurriedly says, “Oh well you know what, I actually have to go start this thing soon um-,”

 

“I can see that you’ve set a timer for an hour, Camz,” Lauren says, pointing to the timer attached to the bench top that currently has about 50 minutes left on it. “You have nothing to do for another hour.”

 

Camila crosses her arms and gives up her efforts to avoid the other girl, “Okay, fine. What do you want?” she asks, keeping her gaze on the floor while shuffling on her feet slightly.

 

Lauren approaches her so she’s right in front of Camila and ducks her head to try to get Camila to look at her, “You know what I want” she says straightening up when Camila briefly meets her gaze.

 

Camila sighs resignedly and says,

 

“I’m sorry,” in the same instant Lauren lets out an “I love you too.”

 

“Wait, what?!” they exclaim at the same time.

 

“What are you sorry for?” Lauren asks hesitantly.

 

“Um, for saying ‘I love you?’” Camila says unsurely, scratching the back of her neck.

 

“Did you not mean it?” Lauren probes with a hint of sadness in her voice and her eyes scanning Camila’s face worriedly.

 

“NO!” Camila exclaims loudly. “I mean yes. I mean - ugh!” she says exasperatedly. “It’s not that, of course I mean it,” she says more quietly. “I just wasn’t sure if you were ready to hear that yet, but yeah, I do love you,” Camila finishes, finally meeting Lauren’s eyes with sincerity and adoration and _love_ pouring out of her brown eyes.

 

Lauren further closes the distance between them and places her arms around Camila’s waist while the brunette instinctively wraps her own arms around Lauren’s neck, instantly playing with the small hairs on the nape of her neck.

 

“Oh baby, never apologize for letting me know you love me ever again,” Lauren whispers against the other girl’s mouth.

 

Camila smiles widely, her eyes crinkling and her tongue barely poking out between her teeth, “Sooo, you love me too, huh?” she says, eyes expectant and heart hammering against her chest. She’s pretty sure she can feel Lauren’s own heart trying to jump out of her chest, letting her know that despite Lauren’s ever calm and collected façade, she has the same effect on the green-eyed girl.

 

“Well if you hadn’t run like your life depended on it this morning and then proceeded to avoid me all night, you would have known much earlier,” Lauren teases her.

 

“I love you,” Camila says while keeping her gaze on Lauren’s eyes.

 

“I love you too, baby,” Lauren returns with a smile. She leans her head forward and captures Camila’s bottom lip in between her own and their kiss turns heated in no time.

 

Lauren pulls back with dark eyes and swollen lips and looks behind Camila at the bench top before she brings her gaze back to Camila’s lips and rasps out, “There’s about 40 minutes left on your timer. What do you suppose we could do to fill that time?”

 

There’s a glimmer in Camila’s eye when she leans forward and whispers, her breath hot against Lauren’s ear, “I can think of a few things.”

 

\--

 

 

The End.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
>  
> 
> Hey everyone,
> 
>  
> 
> Hope you guys liked this one.
> 
>  
> 
> As always, feel free to leave a vote/comment/etc. if you want and have a great day!
> 
>  
> 
> -Maddox


	3. till we're grey and old

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soulmate au: people stop aging at 21 until they meet their soulmate, during which the aging process picks up. the idea is that soulmates can grow old together
> 
> A/N: I spent like an inordinate amount of time trying to make sure the details and rationalizations of this universe make sense and if they still don’t, I’m sorry lol. I tried. Hope you guys like it anyway.
> 
> p.s. Camila and Lauren are the same age in this and Shawn is older than both of them.

 

Camila is 11 and thinks the whole soulmate theory is very romantic. She thinks it’s fascinating how the universe sets aside _one_ person for every soul and no one else can claim that person. She finds it absolutely _adorable_ that people get to grow old with the person they are meant to be with and she can’t wait to meet _her_ very own soulmate.

 

She can’t wait to be 21 and it’s probably not for the reason most people think. Her mamí has told her that she’ll know she’s met her soulmate once she kisses him. Ever since learning about this, Camila has decided that she’s only going to give her first kiss to someone who she has a strong feeling will be her soulmate. She’s heard horror stories about soulmates switching partners, or one soulmate dying before getting to meet the other person, or the saddest of them all, people who never get to meet their soulmates _at all._

 

The thought horrifies Camila. One of her biggest fears is that she’ll grow old without anyone by her side.

 

The way this soulmate thing works out, as will be poorly explained by the writer of this universe, is that people will only start to age past 21 years old if they’ve met and _kissed_ their soulmate. The universe gives every individual 50 years to find their partner and if they are unsuccessful 50 years after turning 21, then mother nature takes over and they start to age normally. These people are branded as the _solitaries_ of the universe. No one says it out loud because it’s kind of taboo and just down right rude to point it out, but people generally look at these soulmate-less individuals with a sense of pity.

 

The easiest way someone can tell if they’ve met _the one_ is by watching the color of their hair, since hair color is one of the fastest features that develop and showcase the aging process when people find their soulmate in this universe. It’s not uncommon to see 25-year-olds sporting smoky-grey hair.

 

If someone’s soulmate dies, their living partner ages normally.

 

*****

 

Lauren thinks the whole idea of having a soulmate is absolutely ridiculous. She’s only 11 but she can tell that whoever gets to decide that there is only _one_ person in the universe for every individual in a world that has more than seven billion inhabitants is an idiot. Human beings are capable of creating a meaningful connection with more than one person, she rationalizes.

 

She hasn’t met this universe writer person, but she can tell they’re not very smart. All her classmates ever talk about is whether or not they’ve met their soulmate and _do you think Jason is my soulmate? Should I kiss him to find out?_ No, Tiffany, you shouldn’t kiss him. You’re 11. You won’t even find out till you’re 21.  Meanwhile, all she wants to do is draw and for her peers to leave her alone.

 

Lauren discovers at a young age that she really doesn’t care for most people around her. She only really likes her best friend Camila, but she can be soulmate-crazy too sometimes. Unlike her peers, she’s not worried about finding her soulmate.

 

She’s pretty sure she’s found hers already anyway.

 

Just because she thinks it’s ridiculous, doesn’t mean she doesn’t think it’s real. Lauren has seen people transform before her own eyes. She’s seen how couples start to grow grey and white hair and the sheer happiness she witnesses on their faces when they realize they’re aging with their significant other makes her think that maybe having a soulmate isn’t so bad.

 

Lauren’s abuela would tell her stories about how _she_ met her soulmate and how he made her feel.

                                                                                                                    

 _You feel butterflies in your stomach, your heart thunders against your chest, and the rest of the world becomes fuzzy and it’s as if all you can seem to focus on is your true love._ She would say variations of these descriptions and each time, Lauren sees the embodiment of the heart eyes emoji on her abuela’s face.

 

And although that sounds more like a heart attack or an impending stroke to Lauren, some of the things her abuela tells her makes her more receptive to the whole idea of falling in love with your soulmate.

 

She tells Lauren about looking forward to spending time with her partner and how she’ll know someone is _the one_ if they are the first person she thinks of when she has news or the first person she runs to when she’s in trouble. She talks about feeling safe and happy and content even when they’re not talking, just that person’s presence is enough to make her day and from these descriptions alone, Lauren can tell who _her_ soulmate is.

 

“Hey, Camz,” Lauren greets the other girl at a lunch table in the school courtyard. The brunette looks up as Lauren takes a seat across from her and she gives the green-eyed girl a toothy smile, her brown eyes sparkling to an almost golden brown under the light rays of the sun peeking through the leaves of the trees surrounding them.

 

“Hi Lolo!” she beams.

 

“Camz,” Lauren says with mild annoyance, though deep down, she really doesn’t mind. “I told you not to call me that,” she mutters.

 

“Sorry,” Camila says with her eyes cast down and Lauren hates seeing it so she amends,

 

“Okay fine, only _you_ can call me that though,” Lauren concedes pointing a finger at Camila for emphasis. “And only if we’re alone.”

 

“Okay!” and the way the light re-enters her eyes is enough for Lauren to risk her cool slash badass image. Camila can call her whatever she wants if it means she won’t be sad ever again.

 

“Here,” Lauren starts to unpack her lunch and slices her hard-boiled egg in half. She then proceeds to take the yolk out and give it to Camila as the brunette herself cuts her own hard-boiled egg and gives Lauren the white part.

 

They’ve been doing this since they found out Camila only likes the yolk while Lauren only likes the egg white. Camila thinks it only makes sense because they’re best friends after all and so they must complete each other.

 

Camila and Lauren have been best friends since they were six. Their mothers have been friends since high school and through college and even though they moved to work in different states after graduation, they ended up coming back to Miami a few years later and moving in the same neighborhood. Camila and Lauren has since then spent as much time in each other’s houses as they did in their own.

 

*****

 

High school brings along some changes, but for the most part, it’s still Lauren and Camila. Lauren has made new friends as captain of the volleyball and softball varsity teams, while Camila mainly hangs out with people she’d met in their theater department. They’re still each other’s best friends and most important people in one another’s lives so at the end of the day, they end up in either one of their bedrooms, talking about nothing and everything at the same time.

 

Camila is still Lauren’s biggest (and most obnoxious) fan in all the volleyball games she can attend despite her packed schedule of juggling being the president of their class as well as heading the theater department, taking an active role in directing and acting in their school’s major plays.

 

 

_“Hey ref! Does your wife know you’re screwing us behind her back?” Camila yells as the referee signals an “out” on a ball spiked by Lauren that was clearly out. She’s dressed in Lauren’s away jersey and she’s pointing an accusing foam finger at the ref as she yells at him._

_Lauren just shakes her head and smiles at her best friend from where she’s standing with her hands on her hips on the court, hair up in a ponytail and breathing hard from playing like a madwoman. There’s sweat running down her neck and arms and her face is flushed with exertion and her widow peak looks more prominent than ever and Camila thinks she looks absolutely breathtaking. Normani pulls Camila back down on her seat, “Mila! I don’t think Lauren will appreciate it if you get kicked out of the gym,” she tuts but a hint of a smile is threatening to form on her lips._

_Camila huffs and crosses her arms, which proves to be harder with an oversized foam finger covering her hand, but proceeds to sit back down anyway,_ _“That call is gonna mess up Lo’s stats,” she continues to pout._

_“I’m sure she’ll be fine, Mila. Chill.” Normani assures her while patting her friend’s back._

_Camila is ready with a fresh, ice-cold water bottle and a towel when the game ends with Lauren scoring the last point and she meets Lauren halfway in a hug as the green-eyed girl lifts her and spins her around. Camila holds on and doesn’t even bat an eye at Lauren engulfing her in a sweaty embrace._

_“We’re going to the finals, Camz!” Lauren’s eyes are bright and her smile is blinding and Camila feels like **she’d**_ _just won a big game with the happiness that’s radiating off of Lauren._

_“Well then, let’s celebrate,” Camila winks and pulls her towards the lockers so she can change._

_*****_

_Camila is backstage all dressed up, made up, and ready to go on stage when she feels her arm being gently pulled back. She turns to see none other than her best friend with a wicked smile adorning her face as she holds her arms open, “Hey babe,” Lauren beams._

_Camila throws her arms around the other girl and laughs as she says, “What are you doing here?!” Lauren was supposed to be in New York for a softball tournament. She’s led her team to nationals and is taking the league by a storm._

_“We don’t have a game until tomorrow night so I figured I’d see my favorite girl put these other actors and actresses to shame,” she smirks._

_“How long are you here for?” the brunette asks, her arms still around Lauren’s neck as she pulls back a little._

_“Just here for your performance. I’m taking the red eye back, coach is going to kill me if she finds out I left so…” Lauren trails off._

_Camila’s eyes widen at that and starts to say, “Lo, tell me you didn’t actual-”_

_“I sure did,” Lauren says proudly with a cheeky nod._

_“You’re insane,” Camila says, her tone full of endearment._

_“Anything for my bestest friend,” Lauren winks. “Now,” she says as she holds Camila by the shoulders and turns her around, gently pushing her towards the stage,_

_“Go and break all the legs, baby,” she says as she gives Camila a good luck pat on the butt and raises both her thumbs up when Camila turns her head to look one last time before she kills it on stage._

 

Camila has always been comforting and familiar and Lauren starts to think that Camila might mean more to her than just being her best friend.

 

“Hey Camz?” the green-eyed girl tries to get Camila’s attention from where she’s sat on Lauren’s bed trying to do her trig homework while Lauren is at her desk, already finished with her history essay, but pretending she has work to do anyway to get Camila to do her homework.

 

“Hm?” Camila responds, only half listening. She’s trying to remember the mnemonic for the different sides and angles of the triangle.

 

“Camila!” Lauren says a little louder as she throws a pillow at Camila, hitting her square in the face and knocking the pencil out of her hand. The brunette finally looks up with a scowl after fixing her hair, which has become collateral damage in the aftermath of Lauren’s attack.

 

“Was that necessary?” she says trying (and failing) to throw a pillow back at Lauren. It doesn’t even land in the near vicinity of Lauren and she had put all of her effort behind that.

 

“Yes,” Lauren says with a smirk. “Nice aim, by the way.”

 

“Shut up,” Camila huffs and moves off the bed to sit on top of the desk where Lauren is sitting, resting both her legs on one side of the other girl’s chair as Lauren then proceeds to lean one elbow on the brunette’s legs. Her other hand moves up to draw random patterns on Camila’s bare legs.

 

“What’s up?” Camila asks softly, noting the way Lauren’s face turns serious. It’s nothing obvious and a casual observer wouldn’t have seen it, but because they’re always in tune with one another, Camila senses it from a mile away. Lauren keeps her eyes on her hands when she says, just as softly,

 

“Do you really believe in the whole soulmate thing?” she asks unsurely.

 

Camila furrows her brows and replies, “Of course, you know _just_ how much I believe in it, Lo” she chuckles lightly. “And I know how _you_ feel about it, why are you asking me this?” she asks without any judgment in her tone, just pure curiosity.

 

Lauren takes a deep breath and shrugs, “I don’t know, I guess I was just thinking what if- what if I never meet mine, or – or me and whoever it is don’t end up together?” she adds more softly and finally looks up at Camila.

 

Camila’s gaze softens and there’s a flicker of _something_ in her eyes when Lauren meets her gaze. “Oh baby, come here,” Camila pulls Lauren up to stand between her legs and hugs her tight, tucking the green-eyed girl’s head in her neck while holding the back of her head and says as sincerely as she can, “I just _know_ you’ll end up with your soulmate, Lo. You have too good of a soul to go through this life alone, babe.” Lauren wraps her arms around the other girl’s waist a little tighter and takes a deep breath. “And even by the off chance that you don’t meet them,” she says seriously. “You still won’t be alone. _I’ll_ always be here.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Lauren chuckles into her neck, her hot breath causing goose bumps to spread through Camila’s skin and her heart to race. “I’m being so emotional for no reason, I think my period’s coming early this month,” she laughs lightly as she pulls back. “Thanks for always being so good to me.”

 

If Lauren notices the upbeat in the other girl’ heart rate or the blush that she can feel form on her cheeks, Camila is grateful that she doesn’t mention it. “Anytime, Laur,” Camila says with a tender look in her eyes as she brings her hands to hold Lauren’s face. “We’re best friends, remember?” she asks with a smile. “You and me until the end,” she says while raising her right pinky and wiggling it in front of Lauren’s face.

 

The smile that forms on Lauren’s lips is instinctive as she raises her own pinky, “Until the end and even after that,” she finishes while interlocking her finger with Camila’s.

 

*****

 

College brings a kind of change that Lauren doesn’t ever see coming. Camila has spent their last year of undergrad studying abroad in Paris. They’ve spent almost every night on Skype, updating each other about their respective lives and falling asleep on the line and that’s partly the reason why, when Lauren picks Camila up from the airport and sees her hand in hand with a brunette boy sporting perfectly styled hair and an alarmingly charming smile, Lauren is a little more than surprised.

 

She’s grateful that she’s always been able to think on her feet quickly and she hurries to subtly throw the bouquet of roses behind her back to the trash as the couple approaches her. She musters up a smile as Camila catches her eyes and the brunette all but mows down the people in front of her to jump into Lauren’s arms, wrapping all four limbs around the green-eyed girl’s body.

 

“Lolo!” her screams are muffled in Lauren’s sweatshirt as she tucks her head in the other girl’s neck and wraps her limbs a little tighter.

 

Despite the tightness she feels in her chest and tears that are threatening to spill stinging her eyes and blurring her vision, Lauren laughs lightly and feels the type of happiness she’s only ever associated with the brown-eyed girl, “Hey Camz,” she says with a subtle crack on her voice. “I’ve missed you too,” she chuckles.

 

When Camila finally lets go, she takes her warmth with her and Lauren turns to see the man with Camila eyeing them, bringing her back to the cold reality that she might have just missed her chance. It’s taken a whole year of being apart from her best friend for Lauren to fully come to terms and accept her feelings for the other girl.

 

She knew she’d always had feelings for Camila, she’d just thought they would go away in due time. When they didn’t go away, she still felt scared because what if Camila doesn’t feel the same way, or they’re not soulmates, or worst of all, she loses Camila in all of this?

 

It took a lot of self-reflection and even more tough love from their friend Dinah for Lauren to get the courage to tell Camila about how she feels. _I promise you, Lauser.  Walz is just as in love with you. I mean, have you seen the way she looks at you, of course not, coz you’re too busy looking at her ass._

Lauren had it all planned out.

 

She’d pick Camila up from the airport and hand her, her favorite roses, then bring her to their favorite froyo place. They’d talk and catch up as if they hadn’t spent every single day of the last year talking over the phone. She’d listen to Camila’s stories all over again and laugh at all her stupid jokes before she takes her out for a picnic on their spot.

 

Their spot is a secluded area on a hiking trail they stumbled upon when they were thirteen and Camila was set on running away from home because her parents wouldn’t let her marry Harry Styles. Camila had only packed a stuffed koala that Lauren had won for her at a fair and Lauren’s volleyball hoodie but the green-eyed girl went with her without question anyway. Lauren figured Camila just needed to cool off and she was there to keep her company and make sure she doesn’t get kidnapped as she texted Camila’s parents that their daughter was safe and she’d bring the girl home in the morning when she’s more sensible.

 

The spot has a small clearing hidden by the surrounding, towering trees and it overlooks the beach with its never-ending horizon on one side and the Miami skyline on the other. They’ve spent countless nights under the shining stars talking about their futures, the universe, and how they’re going to be together until the end. And even after that.

 

Lauren was going to bring her to their spot and lay out the picnic she’d slaved over the last week, trying to perfect Camila’s favorite Mexican dish, getting nothing but a bigger mess when she’d asked for Dinah’s help. Thankfully, she’d also enlisted their other friend, Ally’s, help and she had been successful in keeping Lauren’s apartment kitchen intact while teaching the green-eyed girl how to properly cook the dish.

 

Then, under the light of the stars above them, she’d planned on taking Camila’s hand, looking into the pool of her brown eyes, which undoubtedly would have looked mesmerizing under the glimmer of the silver stars, and proceeding to pour her heart out. She’d planned on telling Camila that she’d known Camila was her soulmate since they were 11. She knew by the way the brunette made her feel. She knew by the look in her eyes, and the love in her touch, and the sheer happiness Camila’s presence has brought into her life.

 

She’d planned on telling her that she didn’t like the way the universe picked their soulmates for them but she’d always believed that she and Camila were meant to be anyway, with or without the blessing of the cosmos. She’d planned on telling her that as much as she bitches about the soulmate thing, she’d made sure to _not_ kiss anyone else because she was going to kiss Camila and show her that it’s always been her.

 

They were going to be together until the end. And even after that.

 

Lauren watches Camila pull back and take the boy’s hand with a wide smile and she sees her vision shatter right in front of her. She feels the pain form at the base of her heart and permeate through her veins as her heart beats faster with every word that leaves Camila’s mouth.

 

“Remember the surprise that I was telling you about? This is Shawn, my boyfriend,” Camila says, unaware of the turmoil building within Lauren.

 

Lauren can feel her heart being torn between wanting to stop completely and wanting to beat out of her chest. Her blood feels like glass shards coursing through her veins and shredding her insides to tiny, barely discernible pieces.

 

“Hey,” she manages to let out surprisingly steadily. The words feel like bile coming out of her mouth and her throat feels smaller, the air struggling to circulate in her lungs.

 

“Shawn, this is my bestest friend in the whole wide world,” Camila beams and gestures to Lauren and the words ‘best friend’ had never hurt so much.

 

*****

 

So the whole saving up her kiss for Camila flies out the window the moment Camila tells her she’d kissed Shawn on their fifth date.

 

_He’s such a gentleman and his eyes are so dreamy and his smile, oh my gosh, Lo! I’m like ninety-nine percent sure he’s my soulmate._

Lauren is also ninety-nine percent sure she’d rather gouge her eyes out and cut her ears off than to hear another word about how perfect and cute and nice and blah this Scott guy is.

 

“So how did you meet Sam, anyway,” Lauren asks with a straight face as they’re lounging on Lauren’s bed. It’s almost midnight and Camila sleeping over but the two of them not really sleeping feels like old times yet at the same time, it’s like something has shifted. Camila turns to her side to face Lauren and rolls her eyes at Lauren’s side profile when she says,

 

“I met _Shawn_ at a café in Paris,” Camila replies as Lauren mutters under her breath, “Right, Shae.”

 

“It’s so cliché but so romantic, right, Lo?” Camila beams and Lauren turns her head to look at the brunette. Her heart aches at the happiness emanating from her best friend. Camila isn’t even really looking at her, she’s basically just smiling into nothingness. And maybe that’s the problem with them.

 

Camila isn’t really looking at _her_.

 

She never really looked at her the way Lauren had always seemed to be looking at Camila. Dinah was wrong. She’d let her own feelings cloud her judgment and convinced herself that Camila might return her feelings and now she can’t even feel happy for her best friend. Shawn gets to kiss her Camila and be with her when Lauren found her first. It’s not fair, but it’s what she has to deal with.

 

Lauren decides she won’t let her feelings get in the way of Camila’s happiness. Her best friend has wanted to meet her soulmate for years and now that she might have found him, Lauren is not going to stand in the way of that. So she turns on her side and faces Camila with a smile she hopes looks genuine.

 

“Very romantic,” she says with a small smile. “Now, tell me more about Shawn.”

 

The wide smile that graces Camila’s face and the way her eyes light up at the fact that Lauren seems genuinely interested about Shawn for the first time is enough for Lauren to swallow her heartache.

 

*****

 

After Lauren has thoroughly convinced herself that she was never going to get the girl, she decides it doesn’t matter who gets hers first kiss now. She doesn’t really care about her soulmate if it’s not Camila anyway. So, she’s gone from not kissing anyone for almost 21 years to kissing anybody that was willing. And many people were willing. She’s essentially become a serial kisser.

 

Her weekends consist of going out, drinking until she feels numb, and kissing the first brunette, brown eyed Latina she sets her sights on, and then doing more than kissing with said girl back in her apartment. She always wakes up feeling emptier than before, but she figures it’s better than feeling empty while sober with thoughts of Camila plaguing her mind and invading her dreams.

 

So she’s knuckle deep in the cunt of this Saturday’s chosen brunette and thinks of a different pair of brown eyes when she closes her eyes as she grinds harder on the girl’s quivering thigh, coming hard on top of her with Camila’s face at the forefront of her mind.

 

“Fuck,” the girl, Marie?, gasps out as Lauren slides her fingers out of her sex and gets off her leg, slumping on the bed beside her. “That was great,” she smiles as she moves to put her arm on Lauren’s midsection only for Lauren to get up and head to the bathroom.

 

“You can stay over if you want. It’s late and it’s raining pretty hard outside” Lauren says as she closes the bathroom door.

 

The next morning, Lauren wakes up alone in bed and hopes the girl isn’t making breakfast in her kitchen. She puts on some clean underwear and a new shirt as she rubs her eyes, walking into her kitchen and is immediately greeted with a brunette making breakfast.

 

“Hey,” she rasps out, taking a seat on a bar stool and scrunching her face in confusion. “How’d you get in?”

 

“We have keys to each other’s apartment, Lo” Camila rolls her eyes as she flips a piece of chocolate chip banana pancake on the griddle. “Are you still drunk or something?” she chuckles.

 

“I thought that was only for emergencies,” Lauren says as she rests her head on her hand, which is propped on the table, looking at Camila and thinking about how many times they’ve done this in the past: Camila making her breakfast and Lauren falling in love with her and their world just being the two of them.

 

The thought that it’s never going to be just the two of them anymore brings a fresh new wave of anguish within her and she’s surprised to find that she’s getting quite used to it. The tightness in her chest when she sees Camila with Shawn, the stinging in her eyes when she tries to keep her tears in, the overwhelming sense of dread that dawns on her when she thinks of a future without Camila. All of it have seemed to have made a home in Lauren and she wonders how long she’ll have to deal with it.

 

“Psh, when have that actually ever mattered to us,” Camila says and then pauses. “Seriously, are you okay?” Camila says with a worried tone.

 

_I’m in love with you but you’ve found your soulmate in someone else._

“You’re right, I’m probably still a little drunk,” Lauren laughs.

 

“Hmm,” Camila lets out with a nod. “Got a nice view of your last night’s rendezvous by the way. She strolled in the kitchen completely naked and freaked out when she saw me” she laughs. “But, Malia was nice enough to apologize for accidentally flashing me and then she kind just ran off.”

 

_Right, Malia. Close enough. Better than when she called Catalina, Camila that one time._

 

“It’s good that you scared her away,” Lauren says while rubbing her forehead, her hangover is starting to catch up to her. “No need to send her mixed signals, the only reason I let her stay was because it was raining really hard last night.

 

“Lo,” Camila says in a tone that ignites a quiet fire of rage in Lauren.

 

“Don’t,” Lauren says sternly, steeling her gaze on Camila’s, daring her to go further. But Camila isn’t like everyone else. She isn’t intimidated by Lauren’s fiery green eyes or her “badass” image. She’d always been able to hold her own against the other girl.

 

“I just -  worry about you, you know that” Camila says while making Lauren a plate. “I remember you telling me you were worried about never finding your soulm-”

 

“For fuck’s sake Camila,” Lauren says, already exasperated with the conversation. “That was years ago. You know I don’t actually give a shit. Not everyone finds their soulmate, okay. We all can’t be perfect little Miss Camila Cabello.”

 

Camila looks at her with a hurt expression and moves to gather her things. “Fuck,” Lauren mutters. “Camila, I’m sorry, I’m just really-”

 

“It’s okay,” Camila says in a cold tone that has never been directed at Lauren before. “Come talk to me when you’re done being an asshole,” she says as she slams the door, the movement rattling the frames hanging by the door.

 

Lauren puts her forehead down on the countertop and sighs to herself, “Nice going, dipshit.”

 

*****

 

It’s midnight and Camila is in her pajamas worrying her bottom lip as she writes and re-writes a text she wants to send Lauren. One thing they’ve always made sure to do over 15 years of friendship is to never go to bed angry with one another and Lauren hasn’t contacted her the whole day.

 

_I still think you’re an asshole, but I don’t want to go to bed without saying goodnight. So, goodnight, Lo. Hope you’ll let me in on whatever’s bothering you when you’re ready. Love you. xo_

 

“Ugh!” Camila exclaims as she erases her text for the umpteenth time. She’s brought out of her thoughts when she hears a knock on her door. Her eyes widen and she grabs a bat from under her bed as she cautiously walks towards the door. She’s not expecting anyone and she has no idea who could be at her door at this hour. She just spoke with Ally over the phone, who is in her own apartment, and Shawn is out of town. Dinah’s knocking would have been more violent and Lauren would have just used her key.

 

She pulls the door open and is ready to swing the bat when she sees green eyes and a smirking Lauren.

 

“You wouldn’t be able to hurt me with that even if you tried with all your might,” she says chuckling.

 

“Thanks for the vote of confidence” Camila deadpans, dropping the bat and instead crossing her arms across her chest as she leans on one leg, jutting her hip to one side when she says, “Why didn’t you just use your key?”

 

“It’s not an emergency,” Lauren shrugs.

 

“Whatever,” Camila says. “What are you doing here anyway,” she says in an annoyed tone as if she wasn’t just ready to throw her pride away just so she can say goodnight to Lauren mere minutes before.

 

“I’m sorry, Camz,” Lauren says running one hand through her wavy locks. “I didn’t mean to snap, I just – I’ve just been really stressed lately,” she half-lies.

 

Camila drops her façade and says softly, “It’s okay, Lo. You know I can never really stay angry with you.” Camila smiles when Lauren beams at her and just like that, they’re back to being Lauren and Camila again.

 

“I brought your favorite,” Lauren says as she goes in the apartment and plops on Camila’s couch. Camila sits next to her and rummages through the bag she didn’t notice Lauren was carrying the whole time.

 

She pulls out a tub of rocky road ice cream and a plastic spoon, eating a spoonful of ice cream as she basically moans out, “Mmm, you sure do know how to apologize the right way, Jauregui,” she winks. Lauren wills the heat between her thighs to go away as she moves to select a show on the Netflix that’s set up on Camila’s TV.

 

“So, _Grey’s_ it is then?” she asks when she turns back to Camila.

 

“You know it,” Camila smiles widely with chocolate smeared on the side of her mouth and some stuck to her teeth. Lauren shakes her head fondly and puts her arm around Camila’s shoulder when the brunette snuggles into her embrace and she knows they’re okay for now.

 

*****

 

When Camila turns 21 in March and starts to show a few grey strands a week later, she’s absolutely ecstatic. She’d been right in thinking Shawn is her soulmate and when Shawn sports his own grey strands a week after Camila had shown, the brunette is simply elated. Camila’s excitement about her soulmate is overshadowing all rational thought, however.

 

Maybe if she’d taken a second to think about their situation, she’d realize Shawn has been 21 for seven months now and they’d kissed multiple times since his last birthday. But Camila pays it no mind.

 

She can’t be wrong about this.

 

Not when she knows she doesn’t have a chance with the one person she always thought was her soulmate, regardless of what the universe wanted for her. She’d always thought she would do everything in her power to be with who _she_ thinks is her soulmate. She was willing to become one of the _fate breakers_ if it came down to it.

 

 _Fate breakers_ were people who were set on not having their fates dictated by anything. They defied the universe and its laws. They’d wait out their 50 years with whoever they want to be with and then grow old together. But Camila doesn’t think about that anymore. Not when Lauren doesn’t believe in soulmates and being with one person forever. Camila is going to give her heart to someone who knows what they want.

 

Three months later and Lauren wakes up with a few strands of grey hair of her own. She looks at her reflection with glassy, emerald eyes. She’d been expecting this since she was 11. She’d always thought this day would come and it would bring her nothing but joy and her own happy ever after because she had been right all along.

 

She knows why this is happening, especially since she’s never actually kissed the girls she took home. Not on their lips anyway. She’d kissed their necks, smeared her lipstick all over their bare skin, and sucked on their _lips_ , but never kissed them on the mouth. Her lips belong to one person only. She’d remained faithful to her love in that way and she’d never wished she was wrong so badly. But here she is, aging with her soulmate but not actually with her. She thinks whoever is in charge of the cosmos is playing a cruel joke on her. It’s all just a cosmic joke.

 

So with tears streaming down her pale, white skin and clenched jaw, she grabs her dye kit and colors her hair a midnight black.

 

*****

 

It hurts Lauren to see Camila and Shawn with their stupid, matching greying heads of hair, and she was almost ready for the pain that ambushed her when Camila came knocking on her door, barely letting her get a word out before she blurts out,

 

“I’m engaged!” she yells happily as she rushes in and waves her diamond-clad finger in Lauren’s face. Lauren swears she was ready for the pain. Almost.

 

The way she celebrates with Camila that night, saying all the right things and making Camila even happier by giving nothing but her blessing and utmost support, Lauren really deserves an Oscar. In fact, just give her the full EGOT. She’s pretty sure she can score the music to her own life using the pained sobs she quietly lets out against her couch pillow that night as Camila sleeps peacefully in her own bed. **[A/N:** I swear I didn’t plan on making this so angsty ha ha **].**

Everyone seems to be looking forward to this wedding while Lauren feels more like getting ready for her own funeral. She vaguely wonders if she can get away with dressing in all black for the wedding. Call it mourning for her broken, dying heart. She’s been doing all of her best friend/maid of honor duties and has gone through every dress fitting, food tasting, flower arrangement picking, and everything else that needed to be done with Camila because Shane can’t be bothered to do these things with his future wife, God forbid he miss a meeting in his -  Lauren’s not really sure what he does. She only knows he makes a ton of money.

 

She’d talk Camila out of backing out multiple times she’s almost convinced herself completely that she’s okay with all of this. She’s okay because Camila is happy and that’s all that’s ever mattered to Lauren. Sometimes she’ll indulge in the thought that she’s picking out which table cloth to use for _her_ wedding with Camila. And sometimes she’ll dream about the idea that Camila is giddy about walking down the aisle to meet _her_ at the end, that the brunette is nitpicking on every detail because she wants a perfect wedding with _Lauren_.

 

Lauren is startled out of _not_ watching whatever is on her TV when Camila comes barging in her apartment and sits on her couch aggressively, huffing loudly and making a show to cross her arms. Lauren looks at her for one second before she returns her attention on the TV without a word.

 

“Lauren!” Camila yells as she hits the other girl with a couch pillow repeatedly. Lauren easily takes the hits and catches the pillow, pulling it away from Camila.

 

“What?” the green-eyed girl replies amidst her laughter.

 

“I’m upset,” Camila pouts. “Pay attention to me.”

 

“Okay, okay,” Lauren concedes as she turns on the couch to face Camila completely. She crosses her legs and rests her head on her hands and her elbows on her knees as she adopts a teasing smile, “What did Sherwin do this time?”

 

Camila doesn’t even react to the obvious name change anymore and it only reminds her why she was feeling so down. “This is like the fifth dance class he’s missed,” Camila whispers. “It’s kinda hard to practice for your first dance as a married couple when you only have half a couple,” she continues with her eyes down, her fingers playing with a loose string on her ripped jeans.

 

Lauren sees just how much it’s affecting Camila and she immediately feels for the girl, “Camz, it’s not really a big deal. Just keep your hands on his shoulders and sway from side to side and make sure you don’t step on his toes!” Lauren tries to assure her. “That doesn’t sound too hard, right?”

 

Camila just further scrunches her brows and shakes her head, “I can’t dance for shit, Lo. I don’t wanna make a fool of myself in front of people who’re important to me,” and by now Camila is on the brink of tears and Lauren cracks. The dark-haired girl sighs and gets up, placing a vinyl on her record player and setting the needle down. Ed Sheeran’s voice starts to permeate the room and Lauren walks back to Camila, while reaching her hand out with a soft smile,

 

_When your legs don’t work like they used to before_

_And I can’t sweep you off of your feet…_

“Lo,” Camila says quietly, but takes the other girl’s hand anyway and gets up. “What are you-”

 

“It’s simple, Camz,” Lauren says pulling her towards an open space in the living room and effortlessly places Camila’s left hand around her neck, while gently cradling the brunette’s right hand in her own. Lauren winds her own right arm around the brunette’s waist and grazes the sliver of exposed skin between the girl’s jeans and crop top, sending shivers up Camila’s spine.

 

Lauren pulls Camila closer and leans her head forward just a little bit as she starts swaying their bodies to an easy and graceful rhythm. Camila doesn’t even notice that she’s dancing without stepping on Lauren’s feet because her own eyes are locked on Lauren’s gaze and nothing else seems to matter.

 

It’s just her and Lauren again and she feels safe and happy and she can’t help but think this is what could have been. This is how it should be. Lauren shifts even closer so her mouth is right by Camila’s ear as the brunette leans her temple on Lauren’s shoulder. Camila’s heart stutters and warmth spreads through her body when Lauren begins to softly croon by her ear,

 

“Place your head on my beating heart…”

 

Camila closes her eyes and finds herself holding her tears back. This is how it’s supposed to feel with Shawn. The way her heart staccatos and her skin tingles and her stomach erupts in butterflies. This is how she’d imagine it to be like with her soulmate.

 

Lauren abruptly pulls back when she hears sniffling. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Lauren says softly as she brings both hands up to hold Camila’s face, her slender fingers delicately wiping the other girl’s tears away.

 

“Nothing, it’s just- it’s probably just wedding jitters,” Camila says through a watery smile. She looks up and sees Lauren’s ever-caring eyes trained on her and she can’t help it when she brings her own hands to hold onto Lauren’s arms tightly, feeling a burning passion course through her when she sees a shift in Lauren’s eyes. She can’t help it when she starts to lean forward and she hears Lauren’s breath hitch and feels her own eyes shutting softly. She feels Lauren’s breath on her lips and she’s about to close the almost non-existent gap when –

 

her phone rings and the moment shatters alongside Lauren’s heart. Camila leans her forehead against Lauren’s instead and takes a shaky breath with her eyes shut tight. When she pulls back and reaches for her phone, she catches a glimpse of Lauren’s stunned expression, which morphs into pure sadness when she answers her phone with,

 

“Hey, babe” Camila says as steadily as she can and Lauren can feel her stomach drop to her feet and her heart up in her throat.

 

*****

 

Camila is making her rounds along the tables in the reception area when she reaches Lauren’s table. She sits down next to her and gives her an unsure smile as Lauren returns a slightly dazed one of her own. She’s on her fifth champagne glass.

 

“You okay, Lo?” Camila asks gently as she adjusts her dress slightly.

 

Before Lauren can answer, one of the other guests sat on Lauren’s table gets Camila’s attention and soon enough, the whole table is grilling Camila about her love story with Shawn. _How did you guys meet? Who made the first move? When was your first kiss?_

Her first kiss, Lauren thinks. She remembers it clearly.

 

 

_“Come on, Lo!” seven year-old Camila drags Lauren through the yard and up their brand new tree house as they giggle and struggle to get Camila up the ladder without damaging her ‘princess’ dress that they’d made from some bed sheets and is currently haphazardly hanging on her body with about a million clothespins._

_“Okay, now I’m gonna lie down and sleep because I’m Princess Aurora and you can be the prince!” Camila says happily._

_“Why do I have to be a prince?” Lauren pouts as she sits next to Camila, who’s already made herself comfortable lying on the floor. “Maybe I want to be a princess too.”_

_“But, can a princess kiss another princess?” Camila asks curiously as she furrows her brows. “I don’t think I’ve heard of a princess story like that at all,” she muses._

_“Well then, we’ll make our own story!” Lauren beams._

_“Okay!” Camila replies easily, “You’re Princess Lolo and I am Princess Camz who is cursed to sleep forever until I get my princess charming!” she says as she closes her eyes again and pretends to sleep. Lauren looks at her best friend and smiles as she leans down and gives Camila’s lips a messy, slightly-off target kiss. She pulls back and giggles at how she can taste the Hershey’s bar that Camila had earlier on her lips._

_Camila opens her eyes and sits up, “You saved me, Lolo!” she exclaims dramatically and wraps her arms around Lauren’s neck._

 

 

Lauren is brought back to the present when she realizes the first kiss question is being directed at her now. She avoids Camila’s gaze when she says with a smirk, “Hot brunette when I turned 21. Can’t remember her name,” she shrugs carelessly and while everyone in the table just chuckles lightly, Camila is burning holes on the side of her head and then she’s off to go find her _husband._

 

*****

 

After the wedding, Lauren and Camila continue to spend time together as Shawn seems to get even busier with work. There’s a delicate atmosphere that surrounds them when it’s just the two of them. They hadn’t addressed their almost kiss and every second that passes that Camila acts like it never happened is like a sharp stab to Lauren’s poor heart, which seems to never catch a break.

 

It’s different from times when they would hang out and words wouldn’t be needed. These days, their time together is filled with meaningless talk and heavy lust-filled gazes that seem to only last a few seconds before one of them snaps back to reality.

 

It’s like they’re constantly on the verge of _something_ and they can never get over the edge.

 

Lauren and Camila are hanging out at the brunette’s apartment when Lauren says, “When are you guys going to get your own place? Isn’t it a little weird that you’re married now and still living apart?”

 

Camila gets up abruptly and starts to pretend to do something in the kitchen as she says, “Um- you know, soon,” she chuckles nervously, still rearranging her pantry. Lauren doesn’t catch Camila’s odd behavior because she’s hungry and she actually doesn’t care about Camila and Shawn living together and being married and all that.

 

She gets up to rummage through the kitchen drawer where she knows Camila keeps her takeout menus when she comes across a large folder with nothing written on the front. She doesn’t think much of it when she opens it out of curiosity and as she reads through the file, her heart rate starts to speed up.

 

“Paris?” she whispers after a few minutes of perusing the folder’s contents, but it’s enough for Camila to hear and she turns her head quickly and her eyes widen at what Lauren’s looking at. She quickly grabs the folder from Lauren’s hand but it’s too late, she’d read what’s on the paper.

 

“Shawn is getting relocated to Paris,” Lauren breathes out as she drags her gaze to meet Camila’s eyes.

 

“Yes,” Camila whispers after a moment of weighted silence.

 

“And you’re going with him,” Lauren says with a crack in her voice. She knows she’d lost to Shawn a long time ago. She’s not sure how she feels like she continues to lose Camila in a brand new way every month or so.

 

“Lauren,” Camila breathes out shakily, her eyes filling with tears, “I was gonna tell you, I was just-”

 

“He starts next month, Camila!” Lauren yells out, all the pain of the last couple months catching up to her and boiling over in her rage. Her body feels hot and it feels like the blood running through her veins is on fire, her heart beating wildly in her chest. “When were you gonna tell me?! At the airport? With a sticky note? Or maybe give me a call when you land on the other side of the fucking earth?”

 

“Lo, I swear I was just looking for the right time,” Camila says wiping the tears that are cascading down her cheeks. “I was just confused for a while and – I – you’re my best friend, Laur. I didn’t want to think about leaving you,” she says quietly, but it sounds shrill in Lauren’s ears, her blood pounding against her temple.

 

Lauren laughs painfully before she lets out, “Is that what we are? _Are_ we still best friends, Camila?” all of her silent suffering is pouring out at once as she looks at Camila and all she can feel is absolute _pain_. She doesn’t remember the last time she felt genuinely happy in the presence of the brunette.

 

“Because I don’t recognize us anymore,” Lauren lets out tiredly. “This isn’t us. We don’t do this,” she gestures harshly between the two of them. “We don’t fight like this. We don’t tiptoe around one other. For God’s sake, this isn’t _you_! You’re not the type to be on the constant verge of cheating on her _husband_!”

 

At that, Camila looks up and there’s a renewed fire in her brown eyes, “What do you want, then?” she says with a steady voice. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

 

“I want –” Lauren starts in a panicked voice. “I want you to stay,” she says and her voice sounds unfamiliar to her own ears.

 

“Why?” Camila asks.

 

“Because – I lo – because you’re my – we’re supposed to be-” Lauren tries to get her words out but her thoughts are jumbled and her heart in her throat is making it hard for her to breathe. “Because you’re my best friend, and you can’t just leave me and-”

 

“Why, Lo?” Camila says and Lauren looks up to meet her gaze and beneath the fire in her eyes, the dark-haired girl can see how she’s pleading for Lauren to say something to make her stay. “Give me one good reason to stay” she breathes out.

 

“I – we’re _best friends_ ” Lauren says and it’s like the words she really wants to say can’t physically come out of her mouth. Years of insecurity and doubt and fears are lodged in her throat, preventing her from speaking about her true feelings.

 

“Nothing else? No other reason why you might want me to stay?” Camila says, her voice cracking and her heart thundering against her chest.

 

“That’s all I have,” Lauren whispers as her tears fall against her cheeks, her glassy forest green eyes looking the most miserable Camila has ever seen them.

 

Camila shakes her head and looks at Lauren one last time. “Goodbye, Lo” she says before she walks out of Lauren’s life.

 

*****

 

Camila is lying on her side as she props herself up on her elbow and looks at the sleeping figure beside her. She smiles as she runs her hand through gentle brunette curves and heavy lids flutter open to reveal deep brown eyes. “Good morning, baby,” she whispers as she leaves a kiss on the boy’s cheeks.

 

“Good morning, Mama” the sleepy five-year-old says in the midst of a tired yawn as he snuggles into Camila’s figure.

 

“Oh no,” Camila laughs lightly as she pulls back a little, “It’s time to get up, champ.”

 

“Noooo,” the boy whines as he pushes his face further into the pillow and tightens his grip around his mother. “Why can’t we stay in bed forever?”

 

“As good as that sounds, honey, did you forget what today is?” Camila asks, running her hand through her son’s hair once more.

 

“Moving day,” the boy says, his voice muffled by the pillow and Camila’s chest, and she doesn’t see it, but she feels the pout on the boy’s mouth when he answers.

"Oh cariño, I promise you'll love it in Miami," Camila soothes. "You'll get to spend more time with your abuelo and abuela, remember?"

"I like it here," the boy says as he pulls back with a sad smile, "But s'okay too coz I know you miss papá and mamá and I want you to be happy," he finishes as he takes a small hand to gently hold Camila's face. 

Camila smiles and brings him in for a tight hug, "You're my favorite child, you know that?"

"I'm your only child, mama," the boy says against her chest.Camila laughs lightly, "You're my favorite person/human being/creature in the whole wide world!" she exclaims while gesticulating wildly with her arms, trying to show how wide the world is. 

The boy just laughs,revealing his deep dimples and shakes his head, "You're silly, mama. I love you," he smiles up at her.

"And I love you.Until the end..." Camila says with a wide smile.

"Until the end. And even after that," the boy nods giving his mom a kiss and jumping out of bed to get ready. 

It's been seven years since Camila left Lauren and half of her heart in Miami. Shawn and Camila acclimated to living together as a married couple in Paris quite easily.Nursing a broken heart is much easier when the source is thousands of miles away apparently, so Camila went on with her life and refused to look back. They were blessed with Mikael after a little bit over a year of living in Paris and he's been Camila's constant source of genuine happiness since leaving home - since leaving Lauren. Shawn didn't get to know his son for too long, however, because he had gotten killed in a plane crash on his way to a business trip to Asia.It's just been Mikael and Camila for five years now and although she had managed quite well for herself, she figured it was time to come home.

Shawn's death wasn't as devastating as the letter he left behind. In his will, in which he gave all of his assets and properties to Camila and Mikael, he had confessed that he was a _deceiver_. _  
_

_Deceivers_ were like _fate breakers_ in that they tried to defy the universal laws by picking their own soulmate. Shawn had started to artificially dye his hair white when he realized Camila had met her soulmate. He had lied about just turning 21 when they met and have actually been waiting for his soulmate for 40 years when he met Camila. He decided he was just going to pretend to age for 10 years before he can naturally age and truly grow old with Camila. _  
_

_Dear Camila,_ _  
_

_I want to start this letter off by saying that I love you, with all of my heart and all of my being and I'm sorry for having deceived you but it was the only way I could think of keeping you. I didn't start to age when I met you, but I pretended to in order for you stay with me._ _If you're reading this, it means I'm gone and have left you my will. Whether you're 70 or 30 years old, I hope you know that whatever time I had with you were my most cherished moments. And if you still have time, maybe you can look back in your past and try to find your true soulmate again. I think you and I both knew deep in our hearts the universe never meant for us to be together, but I do hope you find happiness._ _We both know who was - is - meant for you, universe-approved or not, and I hope you can find your way back._ _  
_

_Love,_ _  
_

_Shawn_

### *****

Settling back into Miami is a lot easier than Camila had anticipated. She had her parents help her while she was still in Paris to set up the new home she wanted to buy so that when they arrived, everything was ready to go. Mikael is adjusting well and everything seems to be falling into place.

 

“Mikael Lorenzo Cabello! I swear if you don’t get your butt down here in two seconds I’m goi-” Camila starts to yell from the kitchen when the brunette boy comes sliding in the kitchen, his polo shirt untucked, an oversized backpack on his back and his hair a hot mess as he greets his mom,

 

“Good morning, Mama!”

 

“Oh mi corazon,” Camila sighs as she finishes making Mikael’s plate and moving onto to fix Mikael’s appearance next. “I told you that you need to look nice for your first day, remember?” she tuts as she straightens out Mikael’s shirt and tames his hair so his curls aren’t covering his eyes.

 

“I do look nice!” Mikael responds. He moves to sit on a bar stool and starts devouring his breakfast before Camila can even respond.

 

“Are you nervous?” Camila says as she sits down next to him and drinks from her coffee, trying to brush back his hair again.

 

“Nope!” he responds with a mouth full of food and a cheeky smile, his dimples making an appearance.

 

“That’s good,” Camila smiles at him and kisses his forehead. “Come on, finish up. You don’t wanna be late.”

 

*****

 

Camila is running in heels through the deserted hallway, her brown locks flying wildly behind her and the contents of her purse rattling inside her bag as the straps barely hang off her shoulder, while she tries to get to her son’s classroom as quickly as she can. Her meeting to settle a job she’d landed recently ran longer than she anticipated and now she’s almost an hour late in picking her Mikael up.

 

She all but flies into the room and stops dead in her tracks when she sees a sight she wouldn’t have believed if she wasn’t experiencing it herself. Mikael is sat at a keyboard, slowly playing a steady tune, his small fingers stuttering every once in a while. His brows are furrowed in concentration with his bottom lip stuck between his teeth.

 

The air in her lungs are ripped from her, however, at _who_ is sitting next to him, the woman’s own bushy but perfectly sculpted eyebrows drawn together in concentration as sweeping eyelashes fall delicately on jade green eyes and slender fingers guide chubby ones across the keys. Camila’s heart jumps at the sight of wavy, luscious _grey_ hair in place of the midnight black she’d last seen on her.

 

“Lauren,” Camila breathes out and the duo finally looks up from the keys. Lauren looks stunned for a moment before she composes herself and gives Camila a soft smile, slowly standing up.

 

“Camz,” Lauren says, just as softly.

 

“Mikael!” the boy in between them yells out while raising both his arms in the air. He proceeds to run to his mom as he exclaims, “Mama!”

 

Camila bends down and catches the running boy in her arms, “Hey, baby. Sorry mom’s a little late,” she smiles as she pulls back.

 

“S’okay!” Mikael says excitedly as she drags her mom further into the room. He stops in front of the keyboard and tugs on her mom’s hand to get her attention. “Miss Howr- Miss How- Howre-,” he scrunches his face for a bit and finally settles with, “Miss Lauren taught me something on the piano!”

 

Camila finally drags her gaze from Lauren to look at her son and says, “Yeah? Go ahead and show me then,” she says just as excitedly. Mikael beams and plays a short tune for Camila.

 

“That was so good!” Camila says as she ruffles his hair. “Why don’t you get your things ready while I speak with your teacher for a bit?”

 

“Okay,” Mikael responds and then turns to the green-eyed girl, “See ya, Miss Lauren!”

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, buddy” Lauren replies, bumping fists with the boy before he runs to his cubby and packs his things.

 

“Hey,” Lauren says in whisper. “It’s been a while, how are you doing?”

 

Camila’s nerves are a bit all over the place and she’s not completely sure this is actually real. “Um- I’ve been good. Yeah, I’ve been – Do you wanna go out with me?” she blurts out. Lauren raises an eyebrow and Camila quickly tries to explain herself,

 

“I mean – like – I mean you know, go out for coffee or something, to catch up, if you want,” Camila chuckles nervously. Lauren gives her an amused smile and says,

 

“Sure. I’d love to go out with you. To catch up, I mean.”

 

*****

 

“So, how’ve you been? It’s been like what, six years?” Camila says while keeping her hands around her cup of coffee. It’s Saturday and Mikael is staying with her parents while she met up with Lauren at a café to “catch up.”

 

“Seven,” Lauren replies, “But yeah, it’s been a while. I’ve been good, how about you? How’s um- how’s your family?” she asks and Camila senses that she’s really asking about Shawn.

 

“Shawn is…gone” Camila says quietly, keeping her eyes on her drink.

 

“Oh I’m -,” Lauren starts to say when Camila smiles and interrupts her.

 

“It’s okay, Lo” she replies, the nickname making Lauren’s heart beat harder against her chest. “It was a long time ago and he turned out to be a-” she clears her throat and finishes with, “He was a _deceiver_.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Yeah,” Camila says chuckling “I guess there’s a glitch in the system, right? I mean as far as I can remember, Shawn’s the only guy I’ve ever kissed and well here I am, still aging,” she shrugs.

 

“Right,” Lauren swallows hard. She scans Camila’s face before she says, “Are you going to the fundraiser event for the school next weekend?” Camila doesn’t notice the subject change and they start talking about what the parents need to bring and all the logistics of the event.

 

They fall into easy conversation, switching from school-related topics, to Mikael, to their lives in the last seven years, and it all seems natural, like they’ve been transported back to ten years before when it was just the two of them.

 

“So um-,” Camila starts to say nervously. “I know it’s conventionally not like, completely polite to ask,” she says while running a hand through her greying hair. “But, it’s kind of hard not to notice – your – um, your hair, so does that mean you’ve met…” she trails off. She really couldn’t have made that any more uncomfortable if she tried.

 

“Um well um-,” Lauren is caught off guard by the question. “Yeah,” she breathes out. “I’ve met her.”

 

“Can I ask who-” Camila is interrupted by Lauren’s phone and she takes a glance to look at the screen briefly before Lauren excuses herself to answer the phone.

 

Lucy.

 

*****

 

Lauren is standing by the side of the field where the charity event was being held as she’s surveying the crowd. There are multiple field activities and booths set up all around the area and people have gathered to join the fun while helping out for a good cause.

 

As expected, her eyes land on a certain brunette playing field hockey with a bunch of five-year-olds and she feels a smile form on her face when she spots Mikael being lightly scolded for subtly tripping another boy that was a little rough with a girl that was playing amongst mostly boys.

 

“So which one is yours,” an elderly woman approaches her and stands by her side holding a steaming cup of hot chocolate, trying to fend off the bitter November cold.

 

“Sorry?” Lauren says with a confused look.

 

“Oh, do you have a kid out there?” she gestures to the group of kids she’d been watching.

 

“Oh God no, I mean, not that I don’t think kids are gre- I, yeah, no, sorry, no kids,” she replies with a nervous chuckle.

 

“Oh sorry, didn’t mean to assume,” the lady says with a gentle shake of her head. “You were just watching them like – you know what, never mind,” she laughs. Just then, another elderly woman comes up to them and says,

 

“Darling, I’m going to get more stuff from the car, I’ll find you in a few minutes, okay love?” the woman says as they part with a soft kiss on the lips.

 

Lauren smiles at them and says, “It must be nice to grow old with your soulmate.”

 

“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong,” she says while they keep watching Camila and the kids.

 

“Wait, you guys are-”

 

“ _Fate breakers_? Yup” the woman laughs. “My ‘soulmate’ she says with air quotes, was a man,” she chuckles. “And considering I’m gayer than the rainbow itself, well that didn’t exactly work out. We’re still friends though, and that helps because he’s Ella’s brother. But he’s found his own love,” she finishes with a smile.

 

“Wow, that’s quite the story,” Lauren says, her eyes automatically finding Camila, now under a heap of overexcited five-year olds. She can’t help the curve on her lips as she gazes with a tender look. The older woman watches Lauren and says,

  
“Yeah, well sometimes the universe gets it wrong,” she pauses as Lauren turns to look at her and she’s met with a meaningful look as the woman turns from Camila back to Lauren, “And other times, well, the universe gets it just right.”

 

Lauren swallows the lump in her throat and the woman continues, “So, how long have you known who your soulmate is?” she asks gesturing to Lauren’s own greying hair.

 

Lauren thinks about saying that she’d dated a lot of people and she couldn’t really tell which one it was but she gets the sudden urge to be honest for once. Maybe she could be honest to a complete stranger and say the one thing she’d kept to herself all these years. “Since I was 11,” Lauren says quietly, “confirmed it on the day I turned 21.”

 

“Ah, I see. Well I gotta go find my wife, but it was nice talking with you…”

 

“Lauren,” the green-eyed girl replies as she takes the woman’s hands.

 

“Everything’ll work out eventually. Some forces of the universe are stronger than others, and us mere mortals are quite powerless compared to the cosmos,” she says as she walks away with a wink.

 

Lauren is shaken out of her musings when she sees Camila approaching with Mikael, “Hi Miss Lauren!”

 

“Hey buddy,” she greets him with a fist bump. “Hi Camila,” she turns to the brunette with a smile.

 

“Hi Lauren,” Camila waves back, “Um- the kids were wondering if-”

 

“Oh there you are, Lo!” a brunette, brown-eyed Latina with a slender figure comes up to them trying to catch her breath. Camila notes her hair with its streaks of white.

 

“Hey, what’s up” Lauren asks.

 

“Oh sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt. Just here to let you know that Powers is gathering the staff for a short meeting by the back tent,” the girl tells Lauren.

 

“Oh okay,” Lauren says and then turns to Mikael and Camila. “I’m sorry, I’ll catch up with you guys later,” she says as she backs away.

 

“Yeah sure, no, go ahead,” Camila says as she subtly eyes the other brunette.

 

“Hey, you’re the new kid in Lo’s class right?” the woman turns to Mikael.

 

“Yes, ma’am!” Mikael answers with a salute.

 

The girl smiles and introduces herself, “I’m Lucy. I’m friends with your teacher,” she says as Mikael shakes her hand.

 

“And you must be Camila, right?” Lucy says. Camila is taken aback for a second when Lucy clarifies, “Lauren has talked about you quite a bit,” she says with a glimmer in her eyes.

 

“Oh?”

 

“LUCY!” someone calls for the girl across the field and they look to see a man with a headset frantically waving her over.

 

“Well it was nice meeting you both, hope to see you more often!” Lucy says as she heads towards the man calling for her.

 

“Okay?” Camila says to herself.

 

Of course Lauren’s soulmate is drop dead gorgeous. It only makes sense, Camila thinks. She sighs deeply and that night in her bed, she thinks about how she really hates the whole soulmate thing.

 

During the next few weeks, Camila and Lauren have found a way to rekindle their friendship, spending time whenever they can. They fall back into a rhythm that’s tried and tested and familiar and simply _comforting_ for the both of them.

 

Camila finds herself still getting lost in Lauren’s green eyes and entranced by the way she speaks with her whole body, arms gesticulating when she’s trying to explain something she’s passionate about and eyes crinkling when she’s smiling too wide and laughing too hard at Camila’s jokes.

 

Lauren still feels butterflies in her stomach and her heart still jumps in the presence of the other Latina and the same blanket of comfort and security and warmth that Camila brings into her life are all still very much present and it’s almost like no time has passed at all. It’s like they’re sixteen again.

 

*****

 

“Mama?” Camila hears her bedroom door open and sees Mikael poke his head in.

 

“Yeah baby?” Camila asks, putting her book down and her glasses away.

 

“Can I sleep in your bed tonight?” he asks quietly.

 

“Of course, come here,” she says as she makes room. Mikael moves under the covers and snuggles with his mom. “What’s wrong?”

 

“I was just thinking because all my classmates have two parents and they all say they’re soulmates,” the boy starts. “Where is yours, Mama?” Camila’s heart jumps in her chest and she tries to answer as sincerely as she can,

 

“I’m not sure, mi amor.”

 

“When do you know who your soulmate is?” Mikael continues to probe as he looks up to Camila with large, beady brown eyes.

 

“Um well it’s different for everyone,” she tries to explain while running her hand through his curls.

 

“Miss Lauren said she found her soulmate when she was six. I’m five now,” he says while putting up five fingers. “What if I meet mine next year!” he muses excitedly.

 

But Camila’s breath gets caught in her throat, “What?” she whispers. “How do you -  what?”

 

“I asked Miss Lauren about it while I was waiting for you one time, and she said she met hers when she was six,” he shrugs.

 

Camila’s heart is pounding and her mind is running a mile a minute. _Since she was six?_ She can’t recall anyone being close to Lauren when they were kids. _Was she friends with Lucy before Camila and Lucy just moved away or something?_

 

*****

 

The next night, when Mikael is staying over at Dinah’s for a sleepover with her friend’s kids, Camila finds herself in front of Lauren’s town house. She had tried to sleep but she couldn’t get Mikael’s words out of her head and now it’s midnight and she’s standing in the cold. She had asked her parents where Lauren lived because they had kept in contact with her all these years, something they’d neglected to bring up all this time.

 

In a burst of courage, she starts knocking loudly on Lauren’s door, “Lauren! Open up!”

 

After about a minute, the door swings open and Camila is momentarily taken out of her focus when she’s met with Lauren in nothing but a silk robe, her greying hair a wild mess on her head.

 

_Oh God, she thinks. Was she interrupting someth –_

Her thoughts are cut off by Lauren’s raspy voice that sounds thick with sleep, “Camila? What’s going on? Is everything okay? Is Mikael alright?” she asks rapidly, waking up more with every second that Camila stays gawking at her.

 

_Oh thank God._

Camila composes herself and barges right into the house and Lauren doesn’t have time to react before Camila blurts out with her arms crossed against her chest,

 

“Have you known Lucy since you were six?”

 

“Wh- what?” Lauren asks confusedly. “What are you even –”

 

“When did you meet Lucy?”

 

“Ookay, I don’t know why you’re so interested, but she _is_ single…”

 

“Lauren! Can you just answer- wait what? – she’s single?”

 

“Yes?” Lauren says rubbing the back of her neck, “I’m still not sure why you’re here” she whispers quietly.

 

“You and Lucy? You’re not -” Camila says, trying to figure out in her head what exactly her purpose was. She knows why she came here; she just doesn’t want to admit it out loud.

 

“Oh god no,” Lauren says chuckling. “I mean, not that Lucy – I gotta stop reacting like this,” she mutters to herself. “No, Lucy and I are very good friends but we’re not - no just, we’re not together like that,” she finishes with a small blush forming on her pale cheeks.

 

“But her hair is white?” Camila says confusedly.

 

“Oh, her um, soulmate died a few years ago,” Lauren says quietly.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry” Camila says with an apologetic look. “Well, okay, but you still never explained how _you_ have white hair. Have you met _your_ soulmate, then?” Camila asks, keeping her eyes on Lauren, who’s started to blush even more.

 

“Um, yes.”

 

“When you were six?”

 

“How do you,” then she thinks for a bit. “Oh Mikael,” she whispers.

 

“Anyway,” Camila says impatiently. “Who is it?”

 

“Who do you think it is, Camila? Did I hang out with anyone else when I was six?” she says, all of a sudden getting frustrated. With what, she’s not sure.

 

“Who do I think – I don’t fucking know! I need you to tell me. Who is it and how come-” she’s interrupted with Lauren’s,

 

“Oh for crying out loud, it’s you! You’re my soulmate,” Lauren says feeling more frustrated, her robe slipping a little bit with the way she waves her arms around. Camila is briefly distracted by a flash of exposed upper boob but when she gets around to Lauren’s words, she responds with,

 

“What? How? You didn’t-  your hair didn’t turn grey when you turned 21!” she knows it’s pretty counterproductive to be yelling at each other, especially at this time of night and considering Lauren’s house is planked by two other homes, but she can’t help it. She’s frustrated and angry and years of pining from thousands of miles away is catching up to her and she’s also a little bit aroused at this point.

 

“I dyed my hair black around that time, remember?” Lauren deadpans.

 

“How are you sure? You’ve kissed so many people” Camila says without malice; she’s just trying to figure out what’s happening.

 

“I never kissed those girls on the mouth,” Lauren says quietly. “And we kissed when we were playing princess when we were like seven.”

 

“What?” Camila says as she tries to come to terms with the fact that Lauren has never kissed anyone on the lips except for her. “Then, why?” she says, almost dejectedly. “You knew. You knew who it was, why would you hide that?” she continues with her voice cracking.

 

“Are you kidding?” Lauren asks disbelievingly “Why would I hide that? You were in love with someone else, Camila! How do I compete with that?” she says, her voice rising again.

 

“You made me believe he was my soulmate,” Camila says, just now realizing how fucked up everything is.

 

Lauren sighs, feeling emotionally drained. “All you’ve ever talked about was finding your soulmate and falling in love with them and marrying them, Camila. _Oh my gosh, Lo. I can’t wait to get married to my soulmate!_ ” Lauren says in a voice that is supposed to sound like Camila. “You were so excited to find out that he was aging with you and you had already said yes to him anyway, I wasn’t going to take that away from you.”

 

“I said yes because of you!” Camila responds, ignoring Lauren’s awful impersonation of her voice.

 

“What?!” Lauren replies instantly, “That doesn’t even make sense – why would you-”

 

“I said yes to him because he wasn’t afraid to tell me and let me know how he felt!” Camila interrupts her. “I said yes to him because you had made it clear just how much you didn’t believe in soulmates and true love and all that shit!” Camila takes a deep breath and tries to compose herself when she feels tears clouding her vision.

 

“Yes, I was in love with the idea of soulmates, but most importantly, I wanted it to be you so badly. But you didn’t believe in it,” she sighs. “I was in love with you, Laur. But I wasn’t sure you even believed in love,” Camila tries to continue through her tears. She can feel her throat closing up with every word that leaves her mouth.

 

“Remember the day you found out I was leaving?” she asks with a laugh that sends daggers through Lauren’s heart. “I was asking you, Lo. I wanted you to tell me _why_ you wanted me to stay. I needed to hear it from you but you just let me go. And I couldn’t give up a guy who was willing to love me for someone who wasn’t sure what they wanted.”

 

“I’ve always wanted you, Camila.” Lauren responds. “I may never have said it out loud, but you must know just how much I wanted you in every way possible,” Lauren says, sounding as defeated as Camila felt.

 

“God,” Camila says with a watery laugh, trying to wipe her eyes dry, “We’re such idiots.”

 

There’s a heavy silence between them before Lauren breaks it with,

 

“What does this mean for us then?” she whispers, terrified of Camila’s reply.

 

Camila thinks about it for a while. She thinks about how much it had hurt her when Lauren let her go. She thinks about how Lauren kept the truth about their connection from her and she’d been led to believe Shawn was her soulmate.

 

Then she looks up and meets Lauren’s eyes and she sees the pain in them. She thinks about the sleepless nights she’d spent thinking about how big of a mistake it was that she left with Shawn. She tries to imagine what Lauren must have felt while she was flaunting her engagement when Lauren had feelings for her back then. She thinks about being the happiest she’s ever been in these last few weeks just being friends with Lauren than in the two years she was with Shawn and she doesn’t think she really has much of a say when it comes to her heart at this point.

 

Camila thinks about how there wasn’t a day that she didn’t dream about reuniting with her best friend, and she’s here now. Seven years of being apart from Lauren and her heart beats for the other girl just as much as when she first got to really know the green-eyed girl. She thinks about how much time they’ve wasted trying to fight this and it’s about time they get back what was always meant to be.

 

“Well, are you still in love with me?” Camila responds with a question of her own.

 

“Of course,” is all Lauren lets out before Camila continues with,

 

“Because I’m still very much in love with you and we can give this another chance, Lo. If you want to. I think we’ve waited long enough.”

 

“So does this mean…” Lauren trails off as Camila closes the gap between them and grabs hold of the collar on her robe, pulling the other girl closer and kissing her answer into Lauren’s gasping mouth.

 

Years of pent up tension and suppressed desire is catching up fast on them and it’s not long before Camila has rid Lauren of her robe and she has the green-eyed girl pinned underneath her, writhing between the sheets. Camila strips herself of her own clothes and gets right back on top of Lauren.

 

She lets her hands wander over silky, creamy skin that she’d only dreamt about and indulges in the soft mewls that Lauren lets out when she enters the green-eyed girl’s wet sex with three fingers, biting into her collar bone as Lauren arches her back and grips onto the sheets.

 

Just as Camila feels Lauren’s walls flutter against her fingers, she pulls them out abruptly and swallows Lauren’s complaints, invading her mouth with her tongue. Camila pulls back and spreads her legs so her knees are positioned on either side of Lauren’s hips and she bites her lip while keeping Lauren’s gaze when she turns her head and uses one hand to swing her hair all onto one side and the other to hold herself up by the other girl’s head. Then, she lowers herself and settles her dripping pussy over Lauren’s and they both let out strangled moans at how drenched they feel and _sound_ , Camila easily sliding over Lauren when she starts to grind with an erratic pace as she pants with her lip in between her teeth and her eyes shut tight.

 

Camila leans one hand on Lauren’s chest as she continues to rock even faster, the sound of their wet centers slapping against one another and their hard breathing the only things filling the room. Lauren helps her out by gripping her hips and rolling them down onto her core in the same pace that she’s thrusting herself upwards and soon, they both reach toe-curling climaxes and arch into each other. Camila falls on top of Lauren, her head in the other girl’s neck as her hot breath hits Lauren’s skin rapidly. Lauren is caressing the other girl’s smooth, sweaty back as she recovers from her own earth-shattering orgasm.

 

“Fuck,” Camila says laughing, “Why did we wait so long to do that?”

 

Lauren laughs with her and Camila feels the vibration through her body, the stimulation sending off a wave of aftershocks through her sensitive core. Lauren chuckles even more when she hears Camila shudder and feels the girl grip her shoulders a bit tighter.

 

“I’m gonna need a minute,” Camila finally says as she pulls back a little bit and settles to the side of Lauren, keeping her limbs tangled with the other girl’s.

 

After basking in each other’s presence and their post-orgasmic glow for a few minutes, Lauren suddenly says, “I don’t like egg whites.” Camila was on the verge of falling asleep so it takes her a few seconds to understand what Lauren is saying.

 

“What,” she says, her eyebrows furrowed as she leans back from Lauren’s chest to look at the green-eyed girl.

 

“I said I don’t like egg whites,” Lauren repeats while continuing to caress Camila’s bare back, her eyes on the ceiling.

 

“That’s the only part you like,” Camila counters.

 

“No it’s not, I actually only like the yolk, same as you” Lauren says with a smile.

 

“What?! No, that’s not - what are you saying? We’ve swapped egg whites and yolks for years” Camila says exasperatedly. “Who even are you?”

 

Lauren laughs at that and explains, “You were so sad and insecure when we were younger that you only liked the yellow part and you thought you were weird,” Lauren says calmly as Camila listens with a raised eyebrow. “And so I said that it’s okay coz I only liked the white part so we can just share, and you got so excited, Camz” Lauren continues with a light laugh.

 

“I was going to take it back, but you were so happy and you said it was perfect and that’s why we were best friends and you really just ran with it, so” Lauren says meeting Camila’s shocked expression. “I kind of just went with it,” she shrugs.

 

“So you’ve been eating egg whites all these years because you didn’t want my six-year-old self to feel bad about being picky with my eggs?” Camila says, a stunned expression still on her face.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Oh my gosh, I love you so much,” Camila says as she gets back on top of Lauren. “You’re amazing you know that?” she mumbles against her skin as her hands start to map out Lauren’s body once again. Lauren scratches her back lightly when Camila sucks hard on her neck and lets out in a soft whimper,

 

“I love you too,” she replies as she throws her head back.

 

*****

 

 

The End.

 

 

*****

 

 

A/N:

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Here’s another one shot for you guys! I’m still trying to learn how to write one shots under 10k so this one is unnecessarily long but I hope you get through it still. I might start on a full fic soon, so there’s that.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this one coz I wrote this instead of working on my abstract lol.
> 
> Have a nice weekend and let me know what you think! Feel free to leave a vote/comment/etc. if you want.
> 
> -Maddox


	4. i'll marry you (if you marry me)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lauren and Camila get married [for elaborate reasons that don’t really necessitate them getting married but are being used for a plot device anyway].

 

*****

 

Lauren quietly groans as she stretches her sore body. Her heavy eyelids start to flutter open slowly, only to shut tight once again against the assault of the bright sun rays peeking through the blinds. She turns over on her other side and is met with a sleeping brunette, the other girl’s arm carelessly strewn across her own midsection. The girl’s lashes fall gently against olive skin and her plump lips are slightly parted. The dark-haired girl internally smirks at the feeling of bare skin against her own naked body and their position immediately sends a new wave of heat through her body.

 

She doesn’t remember the girl’s name, but she sure remembers how the girl’s body felt quivering under her touch, the look of pained pleasure on the girl’s delicate face as Lauren explored her skin, and what her voice sounded like screaming and begging Lauren for more.

 

Lauren slowly trails her fingers up the girl’s side as she leans forward and sucks lightly on the brunette’s neck. The other girl stirs awake and her hands find dark locks right away as she tilts her neck to give Lauren more access. Lauren is gearing to start another round when she feels cool metal against her face when the girl below her brings her hands to Lauren’s cheeks.

 

She immediately pulls back with a worried expression and eyes the girl’s hand. “Holy shit! Are you married?” Lauren gasps and completely sits up, pulling up the sheets to cover her chest. Lauren is a lot of terrible things (as has been pointed out by several people around her), but she is not a home wrecker. As far as she knows, anyway. The other girl follows her suit and sits up slowly as she eyes her own hand with a look of apprehension herself,

 

“No?” she says, her face looking bewildered at the situation. Her hazy mind slowly clearing up with the unexpected turn of events. She had woken up to a feeling of soft lips on her skin and was hoping to continue her very satisfying night.

 

“No? You’re not sure?” Lauren says exasperatedly, running the hand that’s not holding the sheets through her wild hair. “Can you like,” she gestures vaguely to Camila’s body.

 

“What?” the other girl scrunches her face in confusion and Lauren’s body is disoriented at how the girl’s cute face is causing butterflies in her stomach in the same second that her bare chest is sending heat to the junction of Lauren’s thighs.

 

“Your boobs are distracting me,” Lauren says finally.

 

“Oh, sorry” Camila says, scrambling to get a pillow to cover her body since Lauren is hogging the sheets. She feels her face heat up and when she looks up to respond to Lauren’s earlier question, her eyes are caught on the white gold band wrapped around Lauren’s slender ring finger. “Wait, are _you_ married?”

 

Lauren is confused for a second before she follows Camila’s eyes to her own finger, her eyes widening at the jewelry she does not remember buying. There’s a few seconds of silence as the gears turn in both of the girls’ heads and they exclaim at the same time,

 

“No fucking way!”

 

“Holy shit!”

 

“I don’t even know your name!” Lauren exclaims as she frantically tries to gather her clothes and starts putting them on.

 

The girl looks slightly affronted but is momentarily distracted when she catches sight of Lauren in all her naked glory as she hurriedly tries to slip her thong back on. “It’s Camila,” she huffs as she proceeds to look for her own clothes. “I’m sure the other guests in this hotel know my name very well by how loudly you were screaming it last night.”

 

Lauren flushes red as she mutters, “Sorry, not good with names.” Camila just rolls her eyes and her heart races when she hears her phone ring somewhere in the sheets. She rushes to look for it and answers it immediately when her friend’s name shows up.

 

“Normani!” she yells as she tries to shimmy back in her dress, holding her phone between her cheek and shoulder. “Please tell me you know what happened last night,” she pleads.

 

Lauren’s own phone rings and she hurries to put her shoes back on before picking it up and going to the bathroom. “Dinah! What the fuck happened last night?” she whisper-yells into the receiver.

 

Lauren and Camila come out of their respective phone conversations no more informed than before. Both their friends had drunk just as much alcohol and woke up with no recollections either. Lauren comes out of the bathroom and sees Camila pouting at her phone. “No luck?” she asks.

 

“No,” Camila says. She surveys her surroundings and says lightheartedly, trying to ease the tense situation, “Well at least you have a nice suite.”

 

Lauren’s eyes widen at that and says unsurely, “This isn’t my room? I thought it was yours?”

 

Camila panics and gathers her stuff, “Shit! Are you serious? We’re in a room that’s not ours?”

 

Lauren rushes to gather her own things and runs to the door, grabbing Camila on the way, “Fuck, we’re gonna go to jail. We need to get out of here!”

 

*****

 

Lauren and Camila are sat at a table in the restaurant at the lobby of the hotel and are going through their phones for pictures, or anything really, to remind them of what happened last night, the rings on their fingers weighing heavier than it should feel. As they scan last night’s pictures and videos, the events slowly trickle back into their memories.

 

_Lauren is nursing her third glass of Tequila Sunrise at some posh nightclub on the Vegas Strip as she surveys the area for someone to fill her needs for the night. Her parents have unsurprisingly stressed her out for the millionth time and had been on her ass about her position in their company lately, so she decided that a weekend trip to Vegas and indulging herself in beautiful, wiling women was the way to de-stress. Her usual no-strings-attached go-to girl had become attached despite Lauren being clear from the beginning, so she figures she could start anew._

_She’s looking around the club, keeping a few possible girls that have been giving her sex eyes in the back of her mind when her own green eyes land on the sexiest ass she’s ever seen. The girl’s ass is plump and round and her curves are highlighted in a very tight-fitting dress. Her long, wavy brown locks fall gently down her curved back and end right on top of her butt and Lauren knows she’s found the one for the night._

_Lauren approaches the girl, mentally scrolling through her pick-up lines, when she comes within earshot and hears a sexy, raspy voice say, “Sorry, I’m taken.” Lauren scrunches her brows and when she gets a better look, she scoffs._

_Of course some sleazy-looking scumbag is getting way too handsy with the brunette and coming onto her. The man has way too much gel on his hair and his shirt has too many buttons undone, flashing an unflattering gold chain around his stubby neck. Lauren downs the rest of her drink and leaves it on the bar as she sidles up to the brunette and wraps an arm around her waist while flashing her winning smile,_

_“Hey, baby” she husks, depositing a kiss on the girl’s cheek. She looks the man up and down and says, “Is this douche bothering you?” She turns back to the girl and almost loses her shit when she sees the girl’s face is as beautiful as her body is sexy. The brunette is surprised at first but catches up quickly when Lauren squeezes her waist gently._

_“Actually,” Camila laughs nervously. “A little bit,” she says, biting her bottom lip and moving to wrap her own arm around Lauren’s waist._

_“Psh, no one’s buying that shit,” the man says then pauses and smiles wickedly, “Actually, you know what? Prove you guys are together and kiss,” he says with a smug smile and crosses his arms against his exposed, hairy chest._

_Lauren starts to feel heated but calms down immediately and moves her arm from the girl’s waist to hold her hand instead and interlaces their fingers, “We’re not gonna make out in front of you to prove a point, you perverted asswipe,” she says as she picks up a random drink from the bar and throws it on the guy, “Fuck off!” she yells as she drags the girl away from the bar._

_When they safely lose the guy, they stop to catch their breath by a booth and start giggling like school girls. “Oh my gosh, thank you for that,” the brunette says as her laughter dies down._

_“No worries, I’m willing to get my ass beat for a beautiful girl anytime,” Lauren winks._

_The girl raises an eyebrow and eyes Lauren as she bites her lip, “So, we’re really not going to?”_

_“Going to what?” Lauren asks confusedly._

_The brunette’s smile grows wider as she trails her fingers down Lauren’s arms, “We’re really not going to make out?” she husks out as she leans closer so her mouth is by the dark-haired girl’s ear._

_Lauren gives her a sultry smile of her own and pulls the brunette closer by the waist, “Well if we must,” she says with fake annoyance. The brunette wraps her arms around Lauren’s neck and whispers by her ear,_

_“Dance with me first,” she finishes with a nip at Lauren’s earlobe and drags the girl to the middle of the dance floor as Lauren groans after the girl, her eyes glued to her swaying hips._

_The brown-eyed girl turns her back against Lauren’s front and places the dark-haired girl’s hands on her waist as she keeps one of her own hands on top of Lauren’s, and the other on the back of the girl’s head. They grind against each other sensually as Lauren turns her head to suck on the girl’s exposed neck, causing the other girl to whimper and tilt her head to side, giving her more access._

_“My name’s Lauren by the way,” Lauren husks against her skin._

_“Mmm, now I know what I’ll be screaming tonight” the other girl rasps back and her words go straight to Lauren’s core, causing her to tighten her grip at the girl’s hips._

_“Can I know what **I’ll**_ _be screaming then?” Lauren says after a few seconds._

_The girl laughs lightly, but answers with, “Camila,” as she turns around and drapes her arms around Lauren’s neck, whose hands immediately go to rest on Camila’s bum. They dance for a bit before Camila separates from Lauren and grabs hold of her hand, keeping her darkened eyes on Lauren when she says, “Take me to your room.”_

_*****_

_“Fuck,” Lauren lets out as Camila pushes her against her hotel door once they manage to stumble inside. Camila’s mouth is hot against her own and she can feel the girl’s talented tongue sensually tangle with her own, her hands wandering to the back of her dress and pulling the zipper down. Camila pulls back and starts to peel Lauren’s dress off of her but before she can get it past the girl’s waist, Lauren grabs her wrists and turns them around, shoving Camila’s front against the door and pinning her hands on the wall. She sucks on the brunette’s earlobe before she husks out, “Keep your hands on the wall, okay, baby?” Camila can only nod as Lauren drops to her knees and rolls the girl’s dress up to bunch around her waist._

_Lauren groans at the barely-there thong and she immediately grabs as much of Camila’s exposed ass and moves her mouth to suck on the junction of her thighs from behind, getting a taste of Camila’s arousal, as she uses one hand to move the brunette’s panties to the side. Camila lets out a moan as Lauren continues to ravage her from the back. She complies immediately when Lauren gets up and tells her to lie on her back on the bed._

_Lauren crawls over her with a predatory gaze and leans down to suck on the spot where Camila’s jaw meets her neck and she’s about to rid of the girl of her soaked underwear when she hears her, laugh?_

_Lauren pulls back with furrowed brows and leans on her hands when she says, “Are you laughing?” Camila brings a hand to cover her eyes and says amidst her laughter,_

_“Sorry,” she looks at Lauren apologetically, bringing her hand down slightly to peer at confused, green eyes. “I’m ticklish there.” Lauren smiles at the girl and she’s endeared at how hot and cute the girl can be at the same time. She rolls off the girl and lies on her back as she says,_

_“Wow, way to kill the mood,” with a laugh of her own._

_Camila turns on her side and props her head on her hand as she uses the other hand to trail along Lauren’s exposed midline, “Shouldn’t be too hard to get back,” she says as she watches Lauren swallow hard. She looks around the room and spots a minibar, “We should totally raid your bar,” she exclaims excitedly as she gets off the bed and heads towards the bar._

_Lauren gets up on her elbows and tilts her head, biting her lip as she watches Camila walk away with her dress still by her waist, her glorious ass still in full display, “You can have whatever you want,” she says to herself._

_Camila comes back with a bottle of expensive-looking whiskey and a mischievous smile on her lips. She gets on her side and takes a swig right from the bottle as she hands it to Lauren and gestures for her to do the same. Lauren takes it and mirrors Camila’s position, taking a drink from the bottle herself._

_“Okay, how about we play a little game,” Camila says taking the bottle back. “We’ll ask each other questions and everything is fair game. Like, ask me anything and I’ll ask you anything, it could be as personal or as weird, or as - kinky,” she adds with a wink, “and we both have to answer. But first, the person who asks has to guess what they think the answer is, and if they get it wrong, they drink,” she finishes with a cheeky smile._

_Lauren thinks about it for a second before she grabs the bottle and says, “Me first.” She pretends to think for a second and gives Camila a naughty smile when she says, “What’s your biggest kink? I bet you have a daddy kink,” she wiggles her brows._

_Camila shakes her head and says, “Nope,” popping the p. “It’d have to be spanking,” she explains as Lauren chokes on thin air and Camila laughs. “Drink up!”_

_Camila and Lauren go on for several rounds, talking and laughing together as if they’d known each other for years. They learn about each other’s favorites, pet peeves, kinks, and even personal problems, feeling comfortable in divulging their problems to a complete stranger without the possibility of judgment that might come from someone who know their past._

_Camila learns that Lauren is the sole heir to a global shipping company and both her parents are known magnates in the business world. Lauren vents about being a constant disappointment to her parents and never living up to their gigantic expectations. She’d never been allowed to explore things she actually enjoys and has been tied down to the family business since she learned how to read pie charts. Camila also learns that the only person Lauren can actually stand is her abuela on her dad’s side, who is the head owner of the whole business._

_Her abuela has never pushed her to continue the business, but she is keeping Lauren’s inheritance on hold until the green-eyed girl gets married. She’s usually pretty lenient on Lauren’s personal, private life but she is concerned about her lack of commitment. Lauren can only get access to her inheritance after she’d been married for at least a year, her grandma figuring that Lauren wouldn’t get married for a whole year to someone she doesn’t love just for the sake of getting her inheritance. Lauren rants about her problems and Camila comforts her with heated make-out sessions and wandering hands that make her feel like she’s on fire._

_Camila, on the other hand, as Lauren learns throughout the night, has only been in the United States for about five years. She had been attending University of Miami on a student visa and is originally from Mexico, although she was born in Cuba. She met her first love, Mateo, during freshman year and fell madly (and stupidly) in love._

_They were serious and had even been engaged to be married, which is why Camila hadn’t worked towards securing other options to keep herself in the country legally. She’d bank on getting married to Mateo for a green card and she later found out the hard way, with Mateo buried in some other girl on their own bed when she came home early one night, that she probably shouldn’t have had so much faith on that plan._

_She’s in Vegas because her friends had already organized and paid for the trip for her bachelorette’s and she figured she might as well take advantage of it all and drink all her problems away before she gets deported. Lauren comforts her with her own kisses and wandering hands._

_“I really thought he was the one, Lo” Camila says with a slight slur, they had gone through the bottle together pretty quickly and are well into their second. “I’m never gonna get married because no one wants me. My mother was right,” she pouts and Lauren watches her plump lips move, swollen and smeared with her own lipstick._

_“I’ll marry you,” Lauren rasps without blinking, eyes still on Camila’s lips. “You’re definitely marriage material, Camila. You’re beautiful and I can tell from our conversations that you’re kind and smart. And you’re hot. Fuck Matthew and fuck anybody else that says otherwise.”_

_“Really?” Camila says with a wide smile, not bothering to correct Lauren on Mateo’s name. “You think I’m marriage material? Aw that’s so sweet!”_

_“Fuck yeah,” Lauren says, finally meeting her gaze. “In fact, I’ll prove it to you. I’ll marry you right now!” Lauren says, her idea sounding much more practical in her drunken mind. “I’ll marry you and you can show your haters that someone wants you and you can stick it to them, Camila. Come on,” she says while getting up and feeling the world slightly spinning in her head. She shakes it off and helps Camila up and they proceed to help each other get their dresses the correct way back on._

_“Where are we going?” Camila says while letting Lauren drag her out of the hotel room and out onto the Vegas Strip, which is as lively as ever at midnight. Eccentric characters, scantily-dressed men and women walking with extravagant headgear, luxurious cars, and colorful, bright lights greet Camila and Lauren when they walk out of their hotel._

_“This is Vegas, baby,” Lauren says with a wink. “I bet there are a million places just around this block alone that’ll be willing to marry us, and then that’ll show your stupid doubters” she mumbles the last part to herself._

_Camila thinks about it for all of two seconds before she grins widely and says just as excitedly, “Alright then! Let’s get married!”_

_And so they eventually find themselves with a dubious-looking marriage officiate who is dressed as Elvis to marry them in an even more suspicious looking “chapel.” Somehow, through their drunken haze, they’d managed to find a place that essentially walked them through the whole process: got a license with the minimum requirement of a proper ID and proceeded to the ceremony without having to do much else, but not before Lauren dragged Camila to a jewelry store where she splurged on two white gold rings because Lauren Jauregui may be a lot of terrible things, as had already been explained, but she is NOT cheap and she will not shortchange her future wife._

As the memories of last night slowly but surely return to the forefront of their minds, they can feel the panic rise in their chests.

 

“Shit,” Lauren whispers. “We really fucking got married, oh my gosh I can’t believe this,” she says to Camila with anxiety written all over her face. Camila just rolls her eyes and responds with,

 

“This is Vegas, Lauren. It’s as easy to get a divorce as it is to get married.” Lauren relaxes a for a little bit and leans forward eagerly.

 

“Okay, how do we get divorced?”

 

Camila looks slightly offended at Lauren’s readiness to divorce her like she hadn’t just said she was marriage material last night. Her train of though gets interrupted with the buzzing of Lauren’s phone on the table.

 

“Fuck,” Lauren hisses as she sees her dad’s name on her notifications.

 

_Lauren! I know you don’t care about anyone else but yourself but you do have a company to run. Come back from your trip immediately and stop acting like a damn child for once._

Lauren can feel the anger form at the base of her chest and she clutches her phone tightly in her hand as she wills angry tears from her eyes. Camila can sense Lauren’s ire from across the table and gently places a hand over Lauren’s, if only to prevent her from completely crushing her phone.

 

“You know what,” Lauren says with a cold, steady voice. “Why don’t we just stay married? We’re already here anyway” Lauren looks up and meets Camila’s shocked brown ones. Her green eyes are sharp and Camila has a hard time focusing on anything else.

 

“Wh- what?” Camila squeaks.

 

“Let’s stay married,” Lauren says resolutely. “I need it to get my inheritance so I can finally leave this godforsaken family business and you need it to stay in the country,” she explains as if she’s not asking Camila to stay married to a practical stranger!

 

“We need to stay married for a whole year, Lauren!” Camila retorts. “Are you insane?”

 

“Okay, would you rather be deported then?” Lauren says with a raised eyebrow, unyielding in her stance.

 

This is absolutely ludicrous, Camila thinks. She must be out of her damn mind. Her heart is racing in her chest and her mind is going in circles.

 

Then she thinks about what’s waiting for her in Mexico. She’d be coming home to her mother who would undoubtedly mock her and remind her how she told Camila she wouldn’t amount to anything and she’d only wasted her time in America. She’d have to go back and explain how after talking about finding the perfect guy to marry and help her achieve her dreams she’s coming back empty-handed instead.

 

She looks up at Lauren’s expectant gaze and thinks about her options. Lauren doesn’t seem like a psychopath, but then again, aren’t psychopaths supposed to seem normal? She blames it on her hangover and her muddled brain and the Vegas atmosphere when she meets Lauren’s eyes one more time and says in a steady voice,

 

“Okay. We’re doing this then.”

 

They work out the logistics and find out after some more digging that their marriage is in fact legal. They decided - well Lauren decided - that they would be living in Lauren’s penthouse in Miami _because I’m not living in a shoebox with you, Camila_ and she would feel slighted if it weren’t half true. They’re both pleasantly surprised to learn that they live in the same city so Camila can continue at her job in a publishing house, which she’d secured right after graduation after interning at the place for two semesters.

 

*****

 

Camila is coming out of her bedroom (one of Lauren’s many guest rooms), which is absolutely humongous (she’s sure it’s as big as the loft she was living in before), after spending her Sunday moving and unpacking her stuff, sans Lauren’s help might she add, when she spots the dark-haired girl pacing the living room.

 

Her hair is a wavy mess and she’s dressed in sweatpants and an oversized shirt that slips off her shoulder, exposing her collar bones every time she flips her hair but somehow, she makes the whole “bum look” work effortlessly.

 

“Your rug looks expensive. You probably shouldn’t wear a hole in it,” Camila says as she sits on the couch in front of Lauren. Lauren stops pacing and closes her eyes as if she’s willing the world around her and her problems to disappear. She opens them again and frantic green eyes meet Camila’s for a second before she starts pacing again. “Okay, seriously, what’s up? Are you – are you having second thoughts about this?” Camila says hesitantly.

 

“No it’s not that,” Lauren says while biting her lip. She sighs and runs her hand through her hair _again_ , and now it just looks like she’d gone through a wind tunnel. “Um -  it’s just. I haven’t been completely honest with you,” she whispers and Camila’s heart jumpstarts in her chest.

 

 _Oh my_ _gosh. This is where she tells me she’s a psycho and she’s got dismembered body parts in her gigantic freezer which, to be honest, could easily fit three whole human bodies._ _Like who needs that much freezer space? A serial killer, that’s who._

 

Camila takes a deep breath and says as calmly as she can, although she feels like her heart’s about to come out of her throat, “What do you mean?”

 

“Um – it’s just that I – I have-” Lauren isn’t able to finish her sentence because Camila jumps off the couch and shrieks at her,

 

“Oh my gosh! You have an STD! That’s it, isn’t it? You gave me whatever you have and you didn’t tell me!” Camila says in a panicked voice while pointing an accusatory finger at Lauren. She’s trying to remember if she noticed anything amiss in her downstairs area when she took a shower this morning. What if it had a late onset or something?

 

“What! No,” Lauren easily refutes, horrified at Camila’s accusation. “What the fuck, Camila.”

 

“Sorry,” Camila mutters sheepishly, albeit feeling relieved she doesn’t have herpes, “I was just thinking of the worst possible case scenario.”

 

“And you think that’s worse than like, I don’t know, me being a serial killer and hoarding a ton of dismembered body parts or something?” Lauren asks incredulously.

 

At that, Camila’s eyes widen and Lauren says exasperatedly, “I’m not a serial killer, Camila. Jesus, I know we don’t really know each other but damn, tone down your suspicions a notch” she deadpans.

 

“Okay, what is it then?” Camila says impatiently.

 

“Alright, geez,” Lauren takes a deep breath and then says hurriedly, “Ihaveakid.”

 

“What?” Camila asks, genuinely not hearing what she said.

 

“Ihaveakid,” Lauren repeats just as fast.

 

“Okay, I can’t understand what you’re – ”

 

“I have a kid! God Camila, clean your ears or something,” Lauren says annoyed.

 

It takes Camila a few seconds to process what she said and before she can think about what she’s saying, she asks, “Where?” and looks around as if a child is going to come out any second.

 

Lauren looks at her confusedly and answers, “He’s staying at my friend’s for the weekend but he’ll be back this evening, I just didn’t want you to be caught off guard or anything like that.”

 

Camila takes a seat back on the couch and tries to think about the situation. She not only got herself married at the tender age of 23, she’s also now a stepmom. She brings a hand on her forehead and rubs her head while asking, “How the hell do you even have a kid?”

 

Lauren doesn’t miss a beat when she replies with, “Well you see, when a penis and a vagina come together…”

 

“Lauren!” Camila shrieks. “You know what I mean,” she says pointedly.

 

“I was young okay?” Lauren says, just as annoyed with the conversation. “Young and stupid and I thought I was in love. I got pregnant in college and his dad left before the stick even had a chance to show the positive result,” she mumbled.

 

Camila’s gaze softens at that and after a few seconds, she asks with a small smile, “How old is he?”

 

“He’s four, but he insists he’s four _and three quarters_ if anyone asks,” she replies easily and Camila can’t help but smile at Lauren’s face when talking about her child. Her eyes are bright and her smile is soft and she looks like a completely different person from the seductive girl that was eating her ass not even 48 hours ago.

 

“Wait, you have a kid living in a penthouse in downtown Miami?” Camila asks incredulously.

 

“What?” Lauren shrugs moving to the kitchen. “He loves it here.”

 

“Okay, so what do we tell him,” the brunette asks unsurely. “I mean, am I just a friend or –”

 

“You’ll be living with us for a whole year Camila,” Lauren says, rolling her eyes. “My son’s four. Not an idiot. He’s gonna know no ‘friend’ of mine would be living with me for no reason.”

 

“Oookay, so we’re telling him I’m your wife then?”

 

Lauren takes a deep breath and sighs out, “I guess. I mean, his room is the furthest one down the hall and he rarely comes to mine now that he insists he’s a big boy, so you sleeping in a different room shouldn’t raise too much suspicion,” she says around a mouthful of cereal. It’s 3 pm, Camila thinks with a scrunched face. “So, when he’s around, we just gotta act like we’re together. Nothing too over the top and just be discreet in going to your room in the evenings.”

 

“Okay, I can do that,” Camila nods while not trying to think about just how big of a mess she’d gotten herself into.

 

*****

 

As Lauren and Camila are finishing up with clearing their plates after dinner, she hears the elevator that leads into the suite indicate that someone’s coming in and her heart begins to race. She was not prepared to be a mother at 23 for crying out loud, but then she remembers that Lauren has been a mother for four years and she’s only a year older than Camila so she reins it in and takes a deep breath.

 

A blur of wild, brown curls come rushing through the doors and is immediately picked up by Lauren and spun in the air. “Mommy!” the boy yells out in glee as his tiny hands hold onto Lauren while she continues to spin them around. “I missed you so much, mommy,” he says laughing into her neck while the green-eyed girl just holds him tight against her chest when they finally stop twirling.

 

Camila can’t help the warm feeling that rises in her chest at watching the scene. She feels her lips curve into a smile as she sees the boy pull back to hold Lauren’s face in his chubby hands and start peppering her with kisses all over her face. “Okay, my turn,” Lauren says as she starts attacking the boy with kisses of her own as he tries to squirm free while laughing.

 

“Cute, right?” Camila is startled by a husky voice right next to her and she turns her head to see a brunette with gorgeous brown eyes and a sparkling smile standing next to her with an overnight bag in her hand. Camila raises an eyebrow and eyes the girl’s body up and down before she catches herself. _You’re a married woman now, Cabello. Keep it in your pants._ “I’m Lucy,” the brunette introduces herself as she drops the bag and extends her hand with a bright smile.

 

“Camila,” she replies with a smile of her own.

 

“Ah, the wife,” Lucy says with a knowing smirk. Camila is surprised and it must have shown on her face because Lucy gives out a lighthearted laugh and says,

 

“Lo tells me everything,” she explains easily. “You guys have got yourselves in quite the situation.” Camila can only nod and returns her gaze to Lauren and her son and sees that they’re on their way to what she presumes is his room.

 

After Lucy has said her goodbyes to Lauren and the boy, who Camila learns is named Joaquin, Camila finds herself sat across from Lauren and her son in their spacious living room that has floor-to-ceiling windows that look out fifty stories up from the bustling streets of downtown Miami.

 

“Joaqs **[A/N** : pronounced wax **]** , I have to tell you something, okay” Lauren tells Joaquin with a soothing voice and Camila is thrown for a loop at the name. _Wax?_ “This is going to sound a little sudden, but I want you to know that mommy is very happy and I didn’t tell you about this earlier because I wanted to be sure first, okay?”

 

The boy’s attention is all on Lauren and Camila watches how his green eyes rival that of his mother’s and she wonders if they ever get into a stare off, does the fact that they both have piercing green eyes cancel each other out. “Okay, mommy. I understand,” and okay, wow, Camila is in love. The boy is so well-mannered and so cute, she might just steal him from Lauren.

 

“Okay,” Lauren takes a deep breath and adds on, “And I want you to know that you’ll always be my number one, no matter what, okay?”

 

At this, Joaquin rolls his eyes and kisses his mom’s cheek, “I know, mom,” he beams.

 

“Okay, here we go,” Lauren looks at Camila with a slightly nervous look, “Joaquin, I want you to meet my new wife, Camila.” There’s a heavy silence that follows and Joaquin turns his head to look at Camila with his intense, emerald eyes and Camila never thought she’d feel so scrutinized by a four-year boy but here she is, fiddling with her fingers while trying to give the boy an assuring smile.

 

“Is she going to be my second mommy,” the boy redirects his gaze to Lauren and Camila takes a small breath of relief that lasts not even a second after she processes what Joaquin is asking.

 

“Only if you feel comfortable with that, baby,” Lauren says while running her hand through his curls. “You can just call her Camila if you want.”

 

“Okay,” the boy answers with a small smile.

 

Lauren looks a bit surprised at how easy her son has taken the news and asks him again, “Hey, so we’re okay, right? You’re okay with mommy being married?” Lauren inquires with a bit of apprehension to what Joaquin might answer.

 

“Yes mommy,” Joaquin answers while sending Camila a smile. “I want you to be happy,” he says while looking back at Lauren and punctuates his words with a hug, throwing his small arms around Lauren’s neck.  He then moves off of Lauren and walks towards Camila. “It’s nice to meet you, Camila” Joaquin says politely while extending his hand.

 

Camila’s smile brightens and gets wider at the gesture, “It’s very nice to meet you too, Joaquin,” she replies while shaking his hand.

 

And with that, Lauren and Camila share a look that says _well that was easy_ , and can only hope that breaking the news to the rest of their family members is as seamless as telling Joaquin.

 

It turns out, Lauren’s parents and grandparents have a bit more of a difficult time with the news.

 

“Tell me you didn’t actually get married just for the sake of your inheritance, mija,” Lauren’s abuela says as soon as she picks up the phone the Friday after the weekend they got married. Lauren rolls her eyes as she tries to pour milk on her cereal while holding her phone.

 

“Hello to you too ‘buela,” Lauren responds with a mouthful of cereal. “And if you must know, I have been dating Camila for a while and I am very much in love with her and I don’t really know what else to tell you,” she shrugs even though her grandma can’t see her. She thinks she’d sounded pretty convincing. Those acting classes she took as electives in college are sure paying off.

 

“Camila? So she’s Latina! That’s great, mija,” her abuela coos. “I want to meet her and your parents want to meet her too so you guys are coming over for dinner next weekend and no negotiations,” she says with a finality that elder Latina matriarchs seem to always have in their tone.

 

Lauren scrunches her nose and mutters profanities under her breath. She didn’t think they’d have to show their “relationship” to anyone for a while. “How do you already even know about this, ma?” she tries to change the subject.

 

“Oh honey, your friend, Dinah, was showing me some pictures on The Twitter, was it?” she says and Lauren can hear the confusion in her voice.

 

 _I’m gonna kill Dinah,_ Lauren thinks.

 

“Well, anyway, there’s no getting out of this and I’ll see you and your _wife_ next week. Bye, love!” her grandma hangs up the phone before she has a chance to make an excuse.

 

Lauren tells Camila about the phone call and they panic together for all of two seconds before they rigorously design a plan to get through dinner without being outed. They rehearse as many times throughout the day when they get off from work about their story and memorize important dates that mark several milestones in their “relationship.”

 

The dinner goes off without a hitch. Lauren’s family falls in love with Camila easily and Lauren wonders how Camila has managed to capture the hearts of her stone-hearted family. Her parents have never been particularly fond of her and she always seemed to disappoint them at work, but Camila has managed to get a few rare smiles from her dad and her mother has easily given her approval. Lauren’s grandmother is absolutely smitten. They spoke during dinner as if they were long lost family members and all Lauren had to do was sit back and watch Camila work her magic.

 

Lauren’s family was skeptical about their story at first, but after getting to talk with Camila for a little bit, they eventually were more receptive to their pretense of being caught in a whirlwind romance and believed that they had quietly been dating for a few months before they decided to take a trip to Vegas. It seemed like the entire table audibly cooed at Lauren’s declaration that she just couldn’t wait to make it official between them so she’d dragged Camila to a chapel and married her on the spot, which okay, isn’t entirely false.

 

Lauren and Camila don’t go through very many obstacles after the family dinner. With the most important people in Lauren’s life thoroughly convinced of their marriage, Lauren thinks they’re in the clear and all she has to do is live with this (virtual) stranger for a year. Sounds easy enough.

 

They fall into an easy rhythm at home. Camila settles into her bedroom and living in a penthouse in general without too many problems save for the once or twice (okay, like seven times) that she got lost in the huge two-story residence that overlooks Miami. Camila has also formed quite the bond with Joaqs, who sometimes goes by Joaqui **[A/N:** pronounced wacky **]**. Only she and Lauren are allowed to call him that and Camila feels incredibly honored, but ignores the flutter in her stomach when Joaquin says it’s because she’s special to his mom.

 

They don’t run into trouble until after about a month of living together. Lauren and Camila are coming up from the elevator from grocery shopping when they enter the suite and are met with an excited Joaquin and a worried looking Lucy.

 

“Mommy! Camz!” Joaquin runs towards them and gives each of them a tight hug and their own set of kisses. “I missed you both,” he smiles up happily.

 

“We were gone for an hour, Joaqui,” Lauren says ruffling his curls. “And Camz?” she asks as she looks at Camila questioningly, while she sets their groceries on the countertop. Camila just shrugs while Joaquin explains,

 

“An hour too long, mom!” Joaquin says dramatically while trying, but failing to hoist himself up the bar stool. Camila walks by and lifts him onto the bar stool. He turns to her when he says with a smile, “Thank you, Cameeelaaa,” then he scrunches his nose. “See, mom?” he says, turning to look at Lauren, who just raises a questioning brow. “Cameelaa is too long, so I call her, Camz” he shrugs and proceeds to raid the groceries for any sweets he could get his hands on.

 

“Okay, Camz,” she says teasingly as she looks at Camila. At that point, Lucy subtly leads Lauren into the hallway and gestures for Camila to follow. “What?” Lauren asks in a whisper even though she doesn’t know why they’re meeting in the hallway.

 

“This was in the mail when you asked me to check it,” Lucy replies, handing her an envelope with the immigration services logo at the front. Lauren shares a worried look with Camila and opens it. It’s a letter delineating the details of an upcoming interview the immigration services want to conduct with her and Camila as the first major step to an investigation into the legitimacy of their marriage. The date is scheduled a month from now.

 

“Fuck,” Lauren whispers as Camila reads the letter over her shoulder, “Fuck!” she says a little louder and they hear Joaquin yell out,

 

“Bad word! Put some money in the swear jar, mom!”

 

“Shit,” Lauren says more quietly. “How the fuck are they on our asses all of a sudden?” she looks up at Camila who’s worrying her bottom lip.

 

“I dunno,” she mutters, looking increasingly worried.

 

“Hey, look” Lauren says more determinedly, getting Camila’s attention. “We’ll get through this, okay?” She turns to look at Lucy and asks, “Do you know how this could have happened?”

 

“Well, I know from some of my relatives’ experience, immigration services only really conduct an investigation if someone tips them off,” Lucy replies. “Do you know anyone who might have done this?” Lucy asks back.

 

“Oh my god,” Lauren says knowingly. “It must have been Jenny from down the hall. She tried to come onto me for the millionth time last week and I said offhandedly that I was married,” she says. “She was really upset afterwards.” Camila straightens up at that and raises an eyebrow, looking at Lauren pointedly.

 

“Who the hell is Jenny?” she asks with more attitude than she intended.

 

Lucy looks at them amusedly when Lauren answers, “Jenny from the down the hall, I told you,” Lauren says, looking sheepish and Lucy thinks that never in a million years would she see the day Lauren Jauregui looks sheepish.

 

“Hate to break this little lovers’ quarrel you guys got going on, but we should get back to the task at hand,” Lucy says with a smirk.

 

“Right,” Lauren says.

 

****

 

Lauren and Camila up the ante on getting to know each other from when they had to do it for the family dinner. Camila was a little surprised at how involved Lauren was in all of it, if she were to be completely honest. They’re studying stacks of flash cards and Camila feels like she’s back in school with the pop quizzes Lauren throws at her every time she gets a chance.

 

_“Who are my favorite artists?!” Lauren springs on her as she’s getting out of the shower._

_“What the fuck, Lauren!” Camila screams as she holds onto her towel a little tighter. Lauren just stands in front of her with crossed arms and an expectant look. Camila rolls her eyes as she moves past the other girl into the bedroom and looks for something to wear to sleep. “Lana Del Ray, The 1975, John Mayer, and that one group you’re obsessed with, um- oh!” she says snapping her fingers, “Fourth Harmony!”_

_“Wrong,” Lauren deadpans, arms still crossed. “I told you they’re still called Fifth Harmony.”_

_“There’s only four of-,” before Camila can finish,_

_Lauren lets out an almost pained, exasperated sigh, “It doesn’t matter, it’s their brand. They’re not going to just change their name because people can’t understand that.” Lauren shakes her head and continues, “Okay, which one is my favorite?” she asks with a raised eyebrow._

_“The one that left,” Camila says without missing a beat, going back to rummaging her side of the closet. “You’re like obsessed with her ass or something. Personally, I like the one – I can’t remember, I think her name’s Lauretta, but yeah. That one has like the most beautiful eyes,” Camila continues._

_Lauren opens her mouth, getting ready for a rebuttal and ends up just closing it back again. “I’m not obsessed with her, I just think - you know what? Never mind,” she shakes her head at herself. “But anyway, we have to be perfect at this, Camila!”_

_Camila turns fully around and raises her own eyebrow, “Okay, what’s my most favorite thing in the world?” This is a hard one, Camila thinks, smirking to herself. Anyone who’s known her knows how passionate she talks about her job because writing is one of her greatest loves. She’s almost sure that’s what Lauren is going to say. Not very many people know her one true love would always be music; she’d chosen to pursue writing because it seemed more feasible and she found it easier to build a career upon, but music will always be her number one._

_“Music,” Lauren answers easily. “Writing music, listening to it, playing around with your guitar,” Lauren continues to list her answer as Camila looks at her slack-jawed. “You turn to music when you’re at your happiest and you turn to it when you’re at your lowest,” Lauren shrugs._

_Camila tries to gather her thoughts, “How? I don’t think I’ve mentioned music nearly as much as I babble about writing,” she asks incredulously._

_“You divulged a lot about yourself the night we met, Camila,” Lauren answers as if they weren’t both trashed the night they got married almost two months ago. “Some things are harder to forget than others.”_

_Truth be told, one of the few things Lauren vividly remembers from what was mostly a hazy night is how Camila’s brown eyes lit up with pure joy when she started talking about music and she remembers wishing she’d be able to capture that moment, bottle it up, and use it for a rainy day. Camila’s smile was bright and her eyes glinted with unadulterated passion, and she wanted to look at Camila at her happiest for the rest of her life._

 

They know each other’s favorite everything and more. Camila has also spent more time getting to know Joaqui, which came naturally enough since they seem to gang up on Lauren often when they want something from the green-eyed girl. She also learns about Lauren’s childhood, eagerly listening about the sports she played in high school, which oddly enough, included _ice hockey_ , like what?

 

_What, are you Canadian or something?_

_You don’t have to be Canadian to play ice hockey, Camz. Anyway,_ _you should see a game once, I still play some weekends with a small league in the city. Where do you think Joaqui got the idea to play?_

Lauren learns about Camila’s life in Mexico and some of her college experiences and more about Mateo. Lauren also insists that Camila move into her room because she had researched immigration services investigations and they go pretty in-depth with their questions and probing.

 

_They do “bed checks,” Camz! Like, they’ll come in at the crack ass of dawn to check the bedroom, see if it looks like two people sleep in it and they can check the bathroom and our toothbrushes, it’s fucking insane._

They’ve even staged a few photo shoots to scatter around the house to make it look like they’ve been dating for a few months before getting married. Suffice to say, Camila and Lauren have gotten to know each other pretty well in the weeks leading up to their first in-office interview, down to what type of underwear they wear to sleep, considering they both wear just a shirt and underwear to bed.

 

On the last week before the interview, Camila and Lauren are getting ready for bed when Lauren gets the brunette’s attention, “Okay, now we have to practice intimacy,” she says with a straight face as she looks at Camila through the reflection of the mirror on her dresser. Camila gulps and puts the hair brush down as she turns around and leans against the dresser,

 

“Wh- what?” she says in a high pitched voice she doesn’t recognize.

 

“Married couples have a certain type of body language, Camz,” Lauren elaborates. “We have to be comfortable with one another,” she says as she stalks towards Camila in an almost predatory manner. Camila is rooted to her spot and is not sure what’s happening.

 

“I’m not following,” Camila says unsurely.

 

“Oh don’t be modest, Camila,” Lauren says as she continues to move towards the brunette. “You’ve seen me naked after all” she says bluntly.

 

“What, no, that doesn’t coun – we were really drunk, I don’t remember,” Camila stutters out.

 

“Oh?” Lauren says with a raised brow, “So you want me to refresh your memory?” she says in a lower tone that shoots through Camila’s body and pools right at her core. “What do you say, huh?” Lauren says as she closes the distance and puts her hands on Camila’s hips delicately. Camila can feel the heat radiating off of Lauren’s fingers through her very thin sleep shirt. Lauren leans forward and husks in her ear, “I mean, we can’t really date anyone else for a year, you have needs don’t you?”

 

Camila’s heart is thundering against her chest and she can feel goose bumps spread down her back and the heat rise to her neck and cheeks. She can feel herself breathing hard and tries to respond after swallowing hard, “I don’t – I um – we’re not actually,”

 

Lauren then lets out a raspy laugh in her ear and Camila doesn’t know if she’s relieved or disappointed. The green-eyed girl lets her go and says lightheartedly, “I’m teasing you Camz, loosen up,” as she moves away, but not before leaving a soft kiss to Camila’s forehead, which okay, is a lot more disorienting than her earlier advances. She feels butterflies form in her stomach and the blush on her face grows even more as Lauren moves away and settles to her side of the bed, leaving Camila hot and bothered and utterly unsatisfied.

 

“What I mean is we need to practice being, you know, more comfortable with each other, physically,” Lauren says more seriously and Camila just looks at her like she’s speaking another language. Lauren sighs exasperatedly and elaborates, “I don’t mean sex, Camila,” she rolls her eyes. “I mean we have to be comfortable with holding hands, keeping eye contact, leaning against each, you know, things like that. Intimacy can mean more than just sex,” she says as Camila tries to process her words.

 

When she’s sure that moving away from the dresser isn’t going to send her into a spontaneous orgasm because of Lauren’s earlier ministrations, she moves to her side of the bed slowly, trying to even out her erratic heartbeat and heavy breathing. “Yeah, yeah sure. I know what you mean,” she says while nodding and thinking about it. “Okay, so this week, we’ll practice all that stuff,” she says with a weak smile, still trying to recover from her arousal.

 

“Cool!” Lauren says chirpily as if she wasn’t just getting ready to jump Camila just minutes ago and she settles on her side, falling asleep relatively easily after giving out one last, “Night Camz,” while Camila lays awake trying to convince herself she’ll be able to go through this year and get what she needs without strings attached.

 

The next morning, while Camila is sleepily stirring half a pound of sugar and another carton of milk with her teaspoon of coffee, Lauren comes up behind her and wraps slender arms across her midsection and says with a drowsy rasp, “Morning, baby.”

 

She stiffens up immediately and she feels Lauren kiss her neck and mumble against her skin as she sighs, “See? This is what I mean.” Camila’s mind goes back to their conversation the night before and tries to loosen up. “We have to be more relaxed with one another,” she says as she finally lets go and moves to pour her own cup of coffee, eyeing Camila across the countertop.

 

Camila takes a deep breath, now that she can because she doesn’t feel overwhelmed with Lauren’s presence, and nods her head, “You’re right,” she concedes. “I’m sorry, I’ll be better next time.”

 

Next time, Camila initiates the contact and Lauren has to take a piece of her own advice. They had talked about how far they’re willing to go with physical contact and had both easily agreed that kissing on the mouth shouldn’t be too scandalous for either of them. They’re grown women after all who can control their feelings, and couples naturally kiss on the lips all the time.

 

Lauren is rushing to get her things ready and just as she’s turning to head out, with her to-go cup in one hand and a briefcase in the other, Camila gently grabs her arm and turns her around. The brunette keeps one hand on Lauren’s arm while the other grabs the back of the dark-haired girl’s neck as she kisses her hotly, her tongue immediately seeking entrance, which Lauren easily grants. Camila is drunk with the power in the way Lauren seems to want more and to control the kiss but is unable to with her occupied hands, so the brunette takes advantage and curls her fingers around Lauren’s neck a little tighter, pulling her impossibly closer and eliciting a delicious moan from the green-eyed girl that Camila eagerly swallows.

 

Camila bites Lauren’s bottom lip and drags her teeth across the luscious flesh when she finally lets the girl’s mouth go with a pop. She moves one hand to hold Lauren’s flushed cheeks lightly and uses her thumb to wipe the smeared lipstick off the side of Lauren’s mouth, basking in the green-eyed girl’s dazed look. “Have a good day at work, baby!” Camila quips as she leaves one more quick peck on Lauren’s swollen lips before she casually goes back to the breakfast table and returns to her coffee. She eyes Lauren over the rim of her mug and raises an eyebrow at her still standing by the door, “Aren’t you in a rush?”

 

Lauren shakes herself out of her stupor and says, “Right,” she clears her throat and nods, mostly to herself. “Well, I’ll see you later,” she says as she hurries out the door.

 

Camila smiles to herself and doesn’t give much thought to the fact that what she did wasn’t exactly your typical goodbye kiss. But, hey, they’re practicing and they need to be perfect, right?

 

Throughout the rest of the week, they continue with trying to be comfortable with one another, which means lingering touches and gentle caresses that seem more intimate than they originally intended. Most of the time, they give each other kisses on the cheek when there’s company, but every once in a while, they’ll indulge in kisses that are a little too close to the mouth, and other times, they’ll treat themselves with a barely PG-13 make-out session, whether they had an audience to prove their relationship to or not.

 

Lauren has also gotten in the habit of wrapping her arms around Camila’s waist when they go to bed and leaves goodnight kisses on the back of the brunette’s neck, her arms snaking under the brown-eyed girl’s shirt while her long, nimble fingers caress Camila’s soft, toned skin, sometimes grazing the underside of her breasts, until they both drift to sleep.

 

They tell themselves it’s practice.

 

 

*****

The interview, much like the dinner, goes flawlessly. The documents they present are approved easily and they move onto the questions without much trouble. Lauren and Camila discover that their chemistry is undeniable and the way they bounce ideas off of one another is easy and unforced. They ask each other questions and answer them through simple looks and it never once seemed like they were faking it. The interviewer leaves no stone unturned in his investigation, asking them about each other’s hobbies, which side of the bed they sleep in (Lauren throws Camila a knowing smirk at this one and the brunette is barely able to hold an eye roll), each other’s families, past relationships, Camila’s relationship with Joaquin, and so on. They answer each one as if they’d known each other for years.

 

Their body language gives nothing away either. Lauren keeps her right arm around Camila’s shoulders and Camila will bring up her left hand to playfully touch Lauren’s cheek whenever the interview gets less formal and a joke or two is thrown in. They reflexively laugh into each other at these times and look a little too long at each other’s eyes when trying to answer a question about their relationship. Lauren also leaves a kiss on Camila’s forehead every now and then when talking about the more serious part of their romance and by the end of the interview, Camila’s right hand is interlaced with Lauren’s over her shoulder and they’re practically glued to one another. The interviewer notes that at least to him, their marriage definitely seems bona fide.

 

Camila chalks it up to their diligent studying and flashcards and nothing else.

 

They both come out of the interview thinking the rest of the year should be a piece of cake compared to Lauren’s parents and the immigration services investigation. Camila stays in Lauren’s room and they both rationalize it as merely being cautious since they never know when immigration services can still pop up and give surprise home visits.

 

*****

 

Camila and Lauren and Joaqui get into an easy routine with living together comfortably, adjusting to one another’s likes and dislikes and to anyone looking from the outside in, they look like the perfect family. In fact, all the right ingredients for a happy, healthy relationship is present.  Lauren and Camila both learned to genuinely care for one another and there was a definite attraction there. The only hiccup? They both think the other is merely playing their role.

 

Lauren is sitting at her desk, grumbling to herself and cursing the heavens above as she tries to finish their quarterly report without committing any serious crimes. She had been ready to go at five when their CEO, aka her dad, sprung more unexpected work for her. Now, she’s missing Joaquin’s first real ice hockey game and she is none too pleased. Joaquin has been skating since he was three and at times, he seems more comfortable racing on the ice than he is on the ground walking and he had been really excited for his first game.

 

She had talked to Joaquin and explained that she couldn’t make it and her son, being the angel that he is, showed no sign of disappointment and only encouraged her to do a good job at her work. She’d felt even guiltier at his understanding nature. A four-year-old shouldn’t have to deal with his mom working late all the time.

 

She pushes her keyboard away in frustration when she realizes there’s no way she’s going to finish in time and try to make even the last few minutes of the game. In fact, she’s probably going to have to stay closer to midnight to finish a good chunk of the report. After another hour of getting some more work done, she tries to relax and takes a deep breath before she FaceTimes Camila, knowing Joaquin should be finished with the game and he should be home by now.

 

The call is answered by curly brown hair, green eyes, and deep dimples. “Hi mommy!” Joaquin beams, putting the phone a little too close to his face so his head is taking up the entire screen. A few of his curls are matted to his head and he looks like he just finished with his bath.

 

“Hey, baby,” Lauren says, smiling for the first time that night as she looks at bright green eyes beaming at her. “How was your game? I’m sorry again, Joaqs, for not being able to come,” Lauren pouts.

 

“It’s okay mommy, you can come to the next one,” Joaquin responds easily. “I scored a goal and we won!” he tells his mom excitedly.

 

“You’re so good, baby” Lauren coos.

 

“Yeah,” Joaquin nods enthusiastically. “Just like you, mom.” Lauren smiles at that and Joaquin continues. “Camz took lotsa pictures and videos if you want to see.”

 

“Camz?” Lauren says confusedly. “I thought Lucy took you?”

 

“Yeah, but Camz came too!” he responds. “I had my own cheerleaders,” he giggles. At that moment, Lauren sees the phone being moved further away from Joaquin’s face and another brunette appears in the frame.

 

“Hey, still stuck at work?” Camila asks sympathetically while wiping her hands with a hand towel. Lauren squints at the screen and sees that Camila has something cooking on the stove.

 

“I thought you had work and are you – cooking?” she asks, her own stomach grumbling and reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything since having brunch this morning

 

“Well, when I heard you couldn’t come to Joaquin’s game, I got off early,” she said smiling while ruffling the boy’s curls. Joaquin playfully doges his head away. “Figured he couldn’t have too many cheerleaders.”

 

Lauren smiles at their interaction and at Camila’s thoughtfulness. She watches as they playfully tease each other and she feels her heart thud harder against her chest at Camila teasingly kissing Joaquin all over his face, in the same way that Lauren and he does when they greet each other. Joaquin had always been pretty shy with most people except Lauren and Lucy (who he’d known since birth), but with Camila, their bond was almost instantaneous. She’s taken out of her musings when she hears Camila.

 

“Wow, lost you there for a sec, Laur,” she laughs lightly and the way her laugh melodiously travels through the air isn’t helping ease Lauren’s heart palpitations.

 

“Oh sorry,” she chuckles nervously. “Just worrying about this stupid report,” she half-lies.

 

“Sorry you have to stay late, but hey,” she says as she quickly checks the kitchen. “You’ll have fricase de pollo waiting for you here,” she wiggles her eyebrows and Lauren’s mouth waters.

 

“My favorite,” she says almost to herself.

 

“Yup!” Camila says cheerfully as she moves to get up. “I remember things too you know,” she winks as she moves out of the screen.

 

 

 

Lauren is close to pulling all her hair out when she gets a phone call. It’s almost eleven at night and she’s sure no one else but the custodians and security are still in the building so she doesn’t know what to expect when she answers the phone. “Hello,” she says, her voice dripping with exhaustion.

 

“Good evening, Mrs. Cabello-Jauregui,” the name still sends a strange feeling through her chest that she actively ignores. “Your wife is here for you, should I send her up?”

 

Lauren is only hesitant for a second before she answers with a small smile, “Sure, Greg. Send her up.”

 

There’s a knock on her office door after a few minutes and she yells, “Come in!” without looking up from her computer. When she finally looks up, she is immediately attacked with the smell of fricase de pollo and Camila in an oversized hoodie and leggings that highlight her long, lean legs. Lauren can’t tell which one is more mouth-watering.

 

Camila pulls her out of her inappropriate thoughts when she sits on the chair across from her and starts to unpack the food. “Hey,” she looks up at Lauren for a second before she returns to her task. “I brought you some food because I know you probably haven’t eaten dinner and Lucy’s staying with Joaqs, and I’m sure you probably won’t get some food for yourself coz you’ll be too tired.”

 

Lauren smiles at Camila busying herself with the food and she thinks maybe it’s not too bad having a fake-not-really-fake wife. “Thanks, Camz,” she replies gratefully and Camila sends her a blinding smile. When Lauren notices that she brought food for two, she asks the brunette, “Did you not eat dinner?”

 

There’s a small blush that forms on the brunette’s cheeks when she answers, “Well, I was waiting for you but when it looked like you weren’t coming home any time soon, I just figured, I could bring you food and join you or something,” she mutters the last part, almost embarrassed for thinking Lauren would even want her company.

 

So she tries to play it cool, “I mean, _I_ hate eating alone, so I – not that I think you’d be dying to eat with me or – like, I’m not assuming you don’t know how to take care of yours-,” she starts to ramble and as amusing as Lauren finds it to be, she decides to put her out of her misery.

 

“Hey,” she says with a smile, halting Camila. “Thank you,” she finishes sincerely and Camila thinks Lauren’s smile and bright eyes are totally worth the fact that she’d been slaving on this dinner for hours and she hasn’t eaten much the whole day herself.

 

They’re almost finished with the food when Camila suddenly remembers something, “Oh! I almost forgot,” she says with a mouthful of chicken and rice, “Here, I took some pictures so you could still see how he did,” she says as she hands Lauren her phone, which Lauren sees is open to her photos.

 

Lauren takes the phone and scans through her photos of Joaqui’s first ice hockey game and seeing his bright, happy green eyes and his small body being engulfed by his hockey gear is enough to pull all the stress from her body from the day.

 

“He made me write ‘mommy’ on his hockey stick before the game,” Camila continues. “He said he’s “dedibicating” the game to his mom,” Camila chuckles, remembering how Joaqui spent all of two seconds on trying to say ‘dedicating’ before he just gave up and made up his own word.

 

Lauren’s heart swells at that and at Camila’s efforts to try to make her feel less guilty about missing the game and she decides she’s done enough work for the day and is ready to come home to her family. “Thanks, Camz,” she says happily. “I feel like I’ve said that a million times already, but really, thank you,” she says with a squeeze of Camila’s hand.

 

She turns her attention back on the phone and exits the app and her heart races against her chest when she sees Camila’s screensaver. It’s a picture of Camila and Joaqui in wide smiles as Camila hugs him tightly, kneeling from behind him, with Joaqui giving her a kiss on the cheek. Joaqs is still in his gear and his hair is matted with sweat against his forehead while Camila looks as proud as ever. Lauren discreetly sends the picture to her own phone and deletes the message afterwards while Camila is busy packing up the food.

 

*****

Lauren comes home after another long day of working hard and still disappointing her parents and she’s ready to shower and retire to bed and not speak to another human being for the next 24 hours when she walks through the door and is immediately greeted with loud laughter and the smell of roast. She ventures to the doorway of the kitchen and sees Camila and Joaqui having a lively dinner and is that Joaqs diligently eating his vegetables?

 

Lauren finally makes her presence known and walks up to Joaquin, using both of her hands to cup his face, “Okay, who are you and what did you do to my son?” she says seriously, eyeing the vegetables he’s almost finished on his plate. Joaquin just rolls his eyes and gives his mom a kiss hello. Lauren smiles and kisses his forehead once more before helping Camila make her a plate.

 

“Hey, I thought you weren’t going to be home till late today,” Camila says as she cuts some roast for Lauren, who greets her with a kiss on her cheek. By this time, these kinds of gestures have become almost second nature them, neither one of them thinking much of its implications.

 

“Yeah, I decided I wanted to be home instead of fixing other people’s problems so,” Lauren shrugs. “How do you get him to eat his veggies?” Lauren says gesturing to the boy who’s eagerly eating his food like it’s his last meal. Camila just smiles and shrugs, sending Joaquin a conspiratorial wink.

 

Joaquin takes that moment to interrupt, and after chewing the food in his mouth, he says “She asks me nicely.”

 

“What?” Lauren asks incredulously. “ _I_ ask you nicely,” she says in mock offence.

 

“No you don’t,” he says stubbornly.

 

Lauren squints her eyes at Joaquin and points a fork in his direction, “Aren’t you like four? It’s too early for you to get sassy with me, young man.”

 

“And three quarters, mom” he says exasperatedly. “I’m almost five, I’m basically like you!”

 

Lauren lets out a full-bodied laugh, with crinkles in her eyes and bunny teeth out and proud and she reaches over to move some hair out of his eyes, “Yeah, let’s make sure you stay _four and three quarters_ for a while, I never want you to grow up,” she smiles at him.

 

*****

 

“Fuck,” Lauren hisses, breathing hard as she tries to hold it off for longer. Camila’s long, slender fingers are working expertly over her and she shuts her eyes tight and bites her lip so hard she’s close to drawing blood. “Camila, oh my god,” she breathes out.

 

Camila pulls back and waits until Lauren opens her eyes back up and rolls her own brown eyes at the girl, “You’re such a drama queen, Lo” she says as she resumes working on changing the bandage on Lauren’s forehead.

 

Lauren took a nasty hit while playing ice hockey and no sooner than she hit the wall that Camila stood from her seat and raised hell on the referee, demanding an ejection. It took a lot of convincing from a bleeding Lauren to keep Camila in the arena and the brunette only calmed down when she was allowed to come in the locker room with the medical team and watch Lauren get tended to. The cut on her forehead wasn’t deep enough for stitches but is still prone to bleeding profusely if not well taken care of.

 

So now, Lauren and Camila are sat in their bedroom, dressed for sleep, as Camila is working to change the bandage on Lauren’s forehead while dealing with the other girl’s whining. Lauren finally calms down and takes a moment to take in the sight before her. Camila has her plump bottom lip between her teeth as she tries to concentrate on her task. With the small gap between them, Lauren can see the different shades of brown spattering across the brunette’s mesmerizing brown eyes and she can feel the other girl’s warm breath on her face.

 

Camila’s touch is delicate and soft and it sends tingles down her spine. Camila herself is barely holding it together. Lauren’s body heat is giving her vivid imagination ideas of Camila throwing the bandage away and pinning Lauren under her as she makes the dark-haired girl forget about her cut with the use of her fingers and tongue. Getting to see Lauren’s galaxy eyes up close isn’t helping the violent beating of her heart either.

 

“There,” she whispers as she finishes and meets Lauren’s eyes. She’s looking at Camila with slightly darker eyes and Camila swallows hard. Her breath hitches on the back of her throat when Lauren leans forward with her eyes on Camila’s lips. The brunette closes her eyes and as her lashes flutter shut, she feels Lauren’s breath on her lips for a second before the green-eyed girl closes the gap and leaves a lingering kiss on the corner of her mouth, Lauren’s luscious, pink lips closing around the corner where the divide of Camila’s lips lie.

 

“Thanks,” Lauren husks against her mouth and moves to settle on her side of the bed. Camila takes a few seconds to gather herself and eyes Lauren as she turns on her side, facing away from Camila.

 

She shakes herself out of the stupor and settles on her own side, whispering a “you’re welcome” in the dark, wondering in her head how long she can pretend to not be in love with Lauren. She had been so focused on how to pretend on being in love with the green-eyed girl, Camila never thought she’d have to act like she _wasn’t_ falling for the other girl.

 

*****

 

The next couple months continue to be blissful and confusing for both Lauren and Camila as they get to know more about each other and get even closer.

 

Lauren has even taken off of work once to take care of Camila when she fell ill, not caring about her parents’ wrath, God forbid she miss one day of work. The green-eyed girl didn’t bat an eye at a coughing, grumpy, and very stuffy Camila as she diligently worked to get the younger girl back to her normal temperature with medicine and blankets, her own famous Cuban soup, and some cuddles, easily fighting off Camila’s protests that she might get sick as well. Camila recovers soon enough and she convinces herself it’s from the medicine and rest and not Lauren’s warmth and gentle touches.

 

Lauren has also gotten in the habit of picking Camila up from work whenever she can get off early enough, and that’s why she’s currently leaning on her Audi as she waits for Camila to leave her building. She doesn’t even realize how her mood picks up right as she sees Camila walk out of the lobby, her wavy, brown hair flowing behind her as she struts across the sidewalk in her heels and pencil skirt like it’s a runway. Lauren is transfixed and her mood plummets when she sees Camila’s bright smile and gleaming hazel eyes are directed to some douche to her right as they walk out together.

 

Camila finally sees her and Lauren forgets about her moping when she sees the brunette’s eyes light up upon seeing her. “Hi, babe,” Lauren greets her as she walks up to Camila, closing the distance and wrapping one arm around her waist while the other grabs her face as she pulls the brunette flush against her and kisses her right on the mouth. Lauren swallows her gasp and as she moves to delve her tongue into the brunette’s mouth, Camila gently pulls away and uses her thumb to wipe at Lauren’s smeared lipstick.

 

“Oookay,” she laughs as she moves to stand next to Lauren instead of in front of her as Lauren keeps her arms tightly around her waist. “We’re in the middle of the sidewalk, Lo,” she clicks her tongue and shakes her head fondly. Camila keeps Lauren’s gaze as if asking _what was that for?_

 

Their staring contest is broken by the clearing of a throat and they look up to see the douche rubbing his neck awkwardly as he tries to not blush from getting a front row seat to their make-out session. “Oh sorry,” Camila says hurriedly, “Laur, this is our editor, Chad,” as she gestures to the guy whose face is still a fiery red. “Chad, this is my wife, Lauren,” she says as she introduces the two.

 

“Oh,” Chad says, unable to hide his surprise. “Um – hi, nice to meet you,” he says as he extends his hand. Lauren only looks at his hand and says,

 

“Well as nice as this is, we really gotta get going, love,” she directs her attention to Camila who’s looking at her with her eyebrow raised and a knowing smirk. “It was nice to meet you Chance.”

 

“Um it’s actually Chad,” he mutters and finally looks up to meet Camila’s gaze. “So yeah, just think about what I said about coming with me to that conference the company invited me to in New York,” he tries to smile, but it looks forced.

 

“New York?” Lauren asks, her tone bordering on anger. “Do you always ask married women to go to some conference with you out of state, Charles?” she asks, steeling her gaze on his scared brown ones.

 

“Um – I wasn’t, I didn’t – ” Chad stutters as Camila just looks on amusedly. She’s glad to be rescued if she’s being honest. Chad had not taken a hint all throughout their conversation in the elevator and he’d been annoyingly persistent about this conference.

 

“Yeah, I didn’t think so,” Lauren says resolutely. She moves to grab Camila’s hand and as she drags her away, she says, “She won’t be coming with you so better work on getting someone else, chump.” Camila just lets herself get dragged as she laughs to herself.

 

That night, when Camila is tossing and turning on her side of the bed, Lauren rips the blanket off of them and huffs, turning to Camila when she finally says, “What is going on? I can’t sleep when you’re trying to wreak havoc on my sheets,” she grits her teeth.

 

“Sorry,” she mutters sheepishly. “My back is killing me, ugh,” she groans.

 

“Okay well let me help,” Lauren says immediately getting on her knees beside Camila, towering over the brunette as Camila’s heart start to stutter.

 

“What?” she squeaks out.

 

“Get on your stomach and lift up your shirt,” Lauren says without missing a beat, her face the epitome of calm. Camila’s head is spinning as she gets flashbacks to the night they met and how Lauren had her way with Camila in bed and how the brunette had loved every second of it.

 

_“Get on your hands and knees, Camila” Lauren rasps as she moves to kneel behind Camila, getting a nice view of the brunette’s swollen, pink lips, dripping from her arousal and ready for more. Camila is barely holding her body up with her weak arms and looks back to see Lauren moving closer and running her talented fingers down the ridges of her spine with one hand as the other kneads her ass, sending shivers down her back. “Face on the mattress,” she rasps out as she lets her hand land on Camila’s ass cheek with an experimental slap._

_“Fuck!” Camila moans out against the sheets as a jolt of pleasure shoots through her, intensifying at the junction of her thighs, and leaking out of her entrance, forcing her to push back against Lauren’s hand, begging for more. Her body feels like it’s on fire and the way Lauren takes her over and over, whispering dirty things in her ear as she fucks her from behind with three dexterous fingers with one hand while the other is assaulting her hardened nipples, sends Camila over the edge for the fourth time that night._

“Camila!” Lauren yells out snapping her fingers, “Come on, we don’t have all night. I wannna get some sleep.” Camila shakes her memories away and she hopes the light is dim enough to hide the blush that’s spreading across her face.

 

“Yeah okay, hold on,” she manages to say as she shakily gets on her stomach and lifts her shirt slowly. She’s not wearing anything besides the shirt and a pair of lace underwear and she doesn’t see Lauren swallow hard before helping her get her shirt over her head, exposing Camila’s toned, tan back in all its glory.

 

Lauren tries to focus and moves to sit on Camila’s lower back as she gets in position to massage out the kinks on the brunette’s back. They both suppress a moan when they feel the heat emanating from Lauren’s core, who’s also only wearing a sleep shirt and a pair of her own lace underwear, transferring to Camila’s back.

 

Lauren takes a deep breath and proceeds to move her talented hands over Camila’s back, pressing hard enough in all the right places. She kneads through the expanse of Camila’s back, starting from the muscles near her neck and working her way through her upper back and ending near the top of her butt. Camila lets out a small whimper of relief as the knots in her muscles finally start to loosen under Lauren’s deft hands.

 

Lauren silently marvels as she watches Camila’s silky skin yield under her fingers as she presses hard against her naked back. Her hungry eyes follow her fingers as they move along the sides of the brunette and when she lightens her touch to barely drag her fingers with a feathery touch along Camila’s side boob, she has to physically restrain herself from jumping Camila when she hears the brunette moan into the pillow and feel the brown-eyed girl buck her ass up into Lauren’s core.

 

When she feels herself heating up, she immediately jumps off Camila’s back before the girl can tell of her arousal, “Um – I think that’s good, right? Your back feels better?” she stutters out while standing awkwardly by the side of the bed.

 

Camila clears her throat before she responds, “Yeah, yeah I’m good thanks.” In fact, she’s forgotten about her back the moment Lauren sat on her. Now she just wants more of Lauren’s touch. She’s trying to calm her breathing and her heart rate down, her face still against the pillow, lest she wants to get up and flash Lauren, when the green-eyed girl says,

 

“Okay, I’m just gonna go get water, so yeah. See you in a bit.” Lauren cringes at her own words and rushes to the door to escape the situation.

 

*****

 

Camila, Lauren, and Joaqui are at the beach house of Lauren’s parents for their annual family reunion. Beach _house_ is an understatement, however, when Camila gets a look around. It looks more like a resort, the wide back porch opening up to a private part of the beach. The house itself is three stories and Camila counted five bedrooms in her brief tour, although she’s sure there’s a couple more she didn’t get to see. It’s a good thing too because it seems like Lauren’s entire clan is coming for the reunion.

 

Camila is surprised that she doesn’t feel as pressured coming to the event, considering she’s supposed to be acting madly in love with Lauren in front of all her family. She thinks it’s probably because they’ve had a few months to really get to know each other and whatever they’ve learned about each other along the way, they learned on their own accord, sans flashcards and pop quizzes.

 

The sun had just set about an hour ago and the party they had worked tirelessly to set up during the day is in full swing. There are tipsy aunts and uncles mingling around as the children busy themselves along the shore. There are fairy lights set up all around the private beach and along the trunks of surrounding palm trees, complemented by large bamboo tiki torches that outline the party area.

 

Camila is nursing a glass of wine as she looks out into the dark sea, enjoying the soft sand beneath her bare feet and the aroma of the seawater around her. It’s been a while since she’s been to the beach, she thinks. She can hear the steady, gentle lapping of the sea against the shoreline and can make out the way the water moves with the wind like a rippling blanket of endless waves under the glow of the stars and the lights of the Miami skyscrapers that are bordering the coastline on the far end of the beach.

 

“Enjoying yourself?” Camila hears a familiar rasp beside her and sees Lauren standing next to her with a smile so soft Camila’s heart rate immediately stutters and picks up. Her eyes are indescribable under the glow of the night stars combined with the surrounding fairy lights. Camila swears she can see pure happiness physically manifest in her bright green eyes and she’s finding it hard to breathe in the girl’s presence.

 

“Yeah,” she breathes out as if the words had to drag themselves and crawl out of her dry mouth. She licks her lips and doesn’t miss the way green eyes immediately follow the way her pink tongue glides along her mouth, leaving her lips glistening under the moonlight.

 

Lauren returns her gaze to her eyes and says, “I think you owe me a dance, wifey.” She says it teasingly as she gestures behind her where the people have made a makeshift dance floor in the middle of the reception area and one of Lauren’s uncle is doing a questionable salsa to an Enrique Iglesias song. Camila returns her smile and sets her glass down as she takes Lauren’s extended hand and responds with,

 

“Show me what you got, then.”

 

“You look stunning by the way,” Lauren husks in her ear as she leads them to the dance floor and Camila is glad it’s nighttime and the lights aren’t too bright, allowing her to hide the blush she can feel form on her cheeks.

 

Lauren easily pulls the brunette towards her and starts swaying them expertly with the music, Camila’s flowy dress elegantly following the lines of her movements as Lauren twirls Camila in and out of her arms with practiced expertise and moving her feet knowingly along the dance floor. Camila lets Lauren take the lead as she’s finding it hard to focus on anything else but Lauren’s warm hand on her lower back and her breath in her ears when she pulls her close, only to roll her out into a dizzying spin and ending it with a dip of her body, easily catching Camila and bringing her right back up to Lauren’s face so there’s barely space between their bodies.

 

Camila’s heart is beating uncontrollably in her chest and she barely manages to breathe out a “Wow” that Lauren returns with a wide smile as the crowd that has formed around them erupts in cheers and applause, forcing them to break away from each other’s embrace.

 

When the party finally dies down and everyone is either passed out or well on their way there, Camila and Lauren are helping people get settled into their designated rooms while helping clean up the house as much as possible before retiring to bed.

 

One of Lauren’s burly uncles has each of his arms slung over Camila and Lauren as they try to drag him up the stairs. “Ya know,” he slurs with his eyes half-lidded, but his lips in a wide smile and Lauren just hopes he’s not about to say something embarrassing in front of Camila, like regarding her coin collection or something. “You’re a good egg, Cameelaa,” he says and Lauren and Camila burst out laughing at that, making it more difficult to essentially carry the man up the steps.

 

“Thanks, Bob,” Camila says with a smile of her own, eyeing Lauren over the man’s shoulder.

 

“No I mean it,” he insists. “You’re really good for Lauren, over here,” he says, and for someone who’s having a hard time keeping himself upright, he says it with just the right amount of conviction. “I thought for a while you were never gonna settle down, Laur,” he continues to slur. “But, I’m glad you’ve found someone that makes you happy because you’re like the daughter I never had,” he says happily before he totally passes out and the two girls finally get him settled into the bed.

 

Lauren and Camila just look at each other, trying to read the other person’s mind before Lauren clears her throat and says, “Ready to finally sleep?”

 

Camila smiles at her and nods her head, “Definitely.”

 

*****

 

After a late lunch the next day, Camila is getting dragged by the women in Lauren’s family to go shopping while the green-eyed girl opts for staying in the house and playing FIFA with her nephews. Camila pouts at her when she says she’s not coming but she only shrugs and mouths a “sorry” as the girls talk excitedly over one another about which type of shoes they’re planning to buy.

 

As they are walking out the door, Camila turns to say goodbye and when she does, Lauren is already in front of her leaning in for a kiss, which she easily reciprocates, the smiles that form on their faces during the kiss enough to break it.

 

“Bye, I love you and take care,” Lauren says without thinking as she pulls away.

 

Camila’s eyes widen and her breath catches in her throat as she sees realization cross the other girl’s face. Before Lauren can say anything else, Camila replies with, “I love you too,” and a final peck on the green-eyed girl’s lips, leaving her flushed and speechless. Camila blames her actions on the people watching their interaction and nothing else.

 

“Oh you guys are too sweet!” one of Lauren’s aunts coos as they finally drag Camila out the door while Lauren is still too stunned to move. She places her fingers over her lips delicately and replays Camila’s words in her head.

 

_I love you too._

 

*****

During the next couple of months, Camila and Lauren continue to live in bliss as they find themselves more and more enamored with one another, choosing to actively ignore Lauren’s slip up during the reunion. Neither of them are ready to face what it all means and although they know getting their feelings involved isn’t smart, they feel powerless in keeping their hearts at bay.

 

As the completion of their one year of being together looms in the distance, what was once a date that both of them were eagerly looking forward to has become something they’ve secretly dreaded. Camila thinks she can’t be the only one feeling ominous when she feels Lauren hold her a little tighter at night and can feel her shaky breath against the back of her neck, as if she’s savoring every moment they have together.

 

They’re brought out of their bubble of bliss when they get news that Lauren’s abuela is releasing her money three months early because she has been thoroughly convinced that Lauren is in love and she’s not married for the money. In the same week of her abuela’s news, they receive a grant of approval for Camila’s green card. After they had passed the interview and the subsequent investigations in the following weeks with flying colors, which included two home visits, they had immediately filed for Camila’s green card and because she had been living in the U.S. with a student visa in the last four to five years and has a spotless record, her file was processed within the usual six months to a year time span.

 

They have officially achieved what they both wanted out of the arrangement: Lauren has her inheritance and Camila is able to stay in America legally, but why does it feel like a death sentence?

 

As they sit across from each other on the breakfast table looking over Camila’s green card documents, Lauren is the first to break the heavy silence.

 

“So I guess this is it, huh?” she says with a sad smile and Camila knows her face looks just as defeated as Lauren’s. She musters up a smile of her own as she swallows before she replies.

 

“Yeah, I guess so.”

 

Lauren takes a deep breath and doesn’t meet Camila’s eyes when she says resolutely, “I’ll call up my lawyers tomorrow. They should be able to draw up the papers for the divorce pretty easily, considering this is going to be mutual and amicable,” and it feels like a stab in Camila’s heart. She had hoped that all the moments they shared in the last few months meant something to Lauren as well but she had been foolish enough to fall for those eyes.

 

Lauren, on the other hand, is thinking this is probably for the best, since she feels she doesn’t want to tie down Camila any more than she already has, considering it was her idea to go through with the marriage anyway. “Just leave it up to me to explain to my family and Joaqs once everything is settled” she finishes sadly.

 

Camila only nods, afraid that her voice will crack with the unshed tears she’s trying to fight from falling.

 

In the next couple of weeks of meeting with lawyers and finalizing the details of the divorce, Lauren and Camila have silently but mutually agreed to distance themselves from one another, if only an attempt at trying to keep their feelings from spilling out without their consent. What was once reflexive and natural, their lingering touches and staring contests have now become stiff and awkward, as if their bodies are reacting to something foreign and the tense atmosphere is both suffocating and painful whenever they have to see each other.

 

They have also been living separately in the last few weeks, Camila staying with Normani as she looks for a place of her own, as a requirement if they want to file for a no fault, mutual consent divorce, which is the easiest thing to do in their case. Although they’re supposed to have been separated for a few months for this type of divorce, Lauren has used her connection and money to get the papers ready as she just wants to get it over with so she can start the process of moving on, convinced that Camila doesn’t feel the same way.

 

The other side of Lauren’s bed feels cold without the brunette and Camila can feel her heart physically constrict every time Lauren avoids her eye contact or she purposely moves away from her to avoid touching her. It’s a stark and excruciating contrast to when Lauren couldn’t get enough of her touch.

 

_“Why don’t you try telling her about how you feel, Mila?”_

_“Psh,” Camila slurs. “She can’t even stand to look at me, Mani,” she says sadly, her brown eyes devoid of its usual mirth and instead is shining with unshed tears. “I mean, the divorce can’t come soon enough for her. I bet she can’t wait to get back to her lifestyle of banging supermodels, I’m the reason she’s so deprived anyway,” she chuckles derisively._

_Mani just shakes her head and moves to wrap Camila in her arms as she sobs into her shoulder. “God, I’m so stupid, Mani. Why did I have to fall for someone unattainable?” she cries as she looks down on the gold band on her finger, finding it hard to believe she’d have to remove it soon._

_-_

_“Why don’t you talk to her about how you feel,” Dinah asks Lauren, who’s busy trying to act busy as she tries to avoid the blonde’s gaze._

_“She doesn’t like me like that. I mean of course, she doesn’t,” she chuckles sadly. “She was ready to get married and settle down when I met her. I, on the other hand, hadn’t been able to keep a girlfriend because I only care about myself, remember?”_

_“Lo, that’s not true,” Dinah shakes her head._

_“Anyway,” Lauren huffs. “I don’t wanna force myself on her any more than I already have.”_

_“Does she seem like she was tied down? Coz if you ask me, she looks like she’s harboring the same feelings.”_

_Lauren just blocks her out because hope is not something she can afford right now, as she continues to stare at her own screensaver sadly, a picture of Camila and Joaquin that she had stolen from the brunette’s phone the one time Camila brought her food._

_*****_

Two nights before they’re ready to sign the divorce papers and Camila finds herself getting ready to come up to the elevator that leads up to Lauren’s penthouse. The doorman, who’d grown to like her over the last few months had already given her access to go up but she’d been standing by the elevators for ten minutes, trying to muster up the courage to go up. It’s raining outside and she hadn’t brought an umbrella so she doesn’t know how convincing she can be when she looks like she’d just played in a huge rain puddle.

 

She’d decided that she’s going to at least try to tell Lauren about her feelings because at this point, she doesn’t have much to lose anyway. Her heart’s already broken and how much worse could it be if Lauren rejects her? If she never tells the girl how she feels, she’ll never know if she ever had a chance in the first place, if she’d just imagined the connection she felt.

 

She’d drank a bit of wine before coming over for some liquid courage but she might have drunk a little too much because she’s feeling a little dizzy, but she’s resolute in her decision, so with one final deep breath, she presses the button to go up.

 

As the elevators open up to Lauren’s suite, Camila is greeted by a brunette with light brown eyes, dressed in nothing but a very short towel, as she looks at Camila confusedly, beads of water dripping down her shoulders and her semi-exposed back when she turns to look back inside, “Um, Lo?” she says in voice just as beautiful as her face. “You got a visitor, I think.”

 

Of course. Of course Lauren is already moving on.

 

Lauren appears behind the brunette and her green eyes widen at the sight of Camila. “Camz?” she says and Camila hates how her body reacts to Lauren’s voice and that goddamn nickname.

 

She wants to say _Don’t call me that. You don’t get to call me that after moving on so quickly_ , but she’s still a little stunned by what’s happening and she can feel her mouth open and close, but her words are stuck deep in her throat.

 

“Okay, I’m gonna go change,” brunette with the banging body says as she moves away from the tense situation.

 

That snaps Camila back to reality and clears her throat, “Um yeah, I was just –” she gestures behind her with her thumb, and with a pained smile, she barely gets out, “Yeah, never mind. I’m gonna go.”

 

Before she can go anywhere however, she feels Lauren gently take her arm back and pulls her into the suite, leading her to one of hallway bathrooms. “Wait, Camz,” she says as Camila watches her get a towel from bathroom closet and starts wiping at her arms. “You’re soaked, what are you doing here?” she asks concernedly.

 

Camila smiles at that and says cheekily, “Well if my plan had gone well, I was hoping, you.”

 

Lauren is too busy trying to dry her clothes to pay close attention so she scrunches her eyebrows and stops to look at Camila confusedly, “What?”

 

Camila laughs and shakes her head, “Sorry, I’m a little drunk,” she says with a smile.

 

Lauren just sighs and looks at the state Camila is in. “It’s late and it’s raining, why don’t you stay the night?” she offers.

 

Camila gasps and pulls her arms away from Lauren, “What?! Are you asking for a threesome?”

 

“What?” Lauren is having a hard keeping up with a slightly drunk Camila.

 

“I’m not staying over when you have a hot girl waiting for you, Lauren” she says stubbornly, taking a step back and crossing her arms.

 

“Wait,” Lauren says, gesturing to the outside of the bathroom, “You think me and Keeks are like together?”

 

“What kind of name is Keeks?” Camila asks and then shakes her head to get back on the topic at hand. “Anyway, what, you mean to tell me she just so happens to use your shower and nothing happened?” she raises an eyebrow, her tone incredulous.

 

Lauren laughs, loud and full-bodied, “ _Keana_ is staying over with her _boyfriend_ who’s been my best friend since sixth grade. You would have seen him if you hadn’t stayed in the elevator,” she explains, raising an eyebrow of her own.

 

Camila uncrosses her arms and relief washes over her, “Oh.”

 

“Yeah, oh” Lauren says. “So, why are you here,” she asks, although she has an idea from the way Camila reacted about having Keana over.

 

“Um -,” Camila fiddles with her fingers and tries to stall.

 

“Camila” Lauren says impatiently.

 

“Okay, okay,” Camila concedes as she takes a deep breath. “I came here to tell you that I don’t think we should sign the divorce papers because call me crazy, but I definitely thought there was something there between us. I mean you looked at me like no else ever had and you cared for me in a way you don’t with other people and I don’t know, I just – I know you feel it too, Lauren,” she says as she keeps her eyes on Lauren, searching them for any sign of hope.

 

When Lauren just looks at her with her mouth parted and not saying anything, she continues, “I mean if it’s not clear…” Camila takes another deep breath before she lets out, “I have feelings for you, Laur. I’m pretty sure I actually love you and I think we deserve a real chance.”

 

When Lauren stays quiet, Camila slumps her shoulders with defeat ad sighs out, “Okay, you know what, never mind,” she chuckles nervously, “I totally misread all that, forget I even said anyth-”

 

She’s cut off by soft, plump lips encasing her own and her breath hitches when Lauren wraps her arms around her waist as she slips her tongue through Camila’s lips, tasting the Moscato on her lips and exploring the warmth inside her mouth. Camila wraps her own arms around Lauren’s neck and sighs in pleasure.

 

Lauren pulls back with a wide smile and gleaming, green eyes, “I love you too,” she breathes out against Camila’s lips and that’s enough for Camila to dive back in, grabbing the back of Lauren’s neck and moaning as their tongues tousle with one another.

 

Camila pulls back, breathless with lips swollen and her heart beating hard against her chest but feeling the lightest she’s ever felt and she says with a wide smile, “I can’t believe I’m finally dating my wife for real!”

 

*****

 

The End.

 

*****

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading and have a great day/night!
> 
>  
> 
> As always, feel free to leave feedback/comments/a vote/etc. if you want.
> 
>  
> 
> -Maddox


	5. i can't tell if we're dating or not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Lauren and Camila cross paths in several unexpected [see: unflattering] situations before they finally decide to go out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: hit me up at jaureguicabello5eva on wattpad if you want

 

*****

 

 

*****

 

Lauren considers herself a generally patient human being. She’s living her dream of being a writer and she’s had the good fortune of being a successful one at that. She lives a comfortable life in her favorite city, doing what she likes to do best and is her own boss, so really, there’s no excuse for her to be anything but a pleasant person, if not only to give back the good karma she’s been lucky to have for most of her adult life.

 

Right now, however, her patience is really being tested by God himself. Or herself. Who actually knows if God is a man, or a woman or, whatever, but that’s not the point. The point is, she’s two seconds away from hitting this girl in front of her with a signed copy of her own novel.

 

Lauren is standing in line at a Starbucks in Miami International Airport and the girl in front of her is holding up the line over a freaking banana nut bread. Lauren had apparently ordered the last piece of banana bread this particular Starbucks had, unbeknownst to the crazy lady in front of her. The green-eyed girl didn’t think she wanted coffee when she ordered the banana nut loaf, but she has since changed her mind when her flight was delayed _again_ and so she went back in line for some white chocolate mocha, only to be greeted with this relentless lady who is really _insistent_ on having some banana bread.

 

Lauren spent the last two weeks spending a much needed vacation in Hawaii, which was a gift from her publisher for yet another successful release of her novel, _You Were Always the Best Part of Me_ **[a/n:** shameless self-promo, check out my other story if you haven't already :)) **]** , after spending months trying to perfect her latest book, cooped up in her New York apartment. Her layover in Miami was supposed to only be two hours but is now nearing five because of the delays caused by a passing storm that is barely even grazing Florida. She thinks everyone is being a little overdramatic.

 

She’s tired and she just wants some coffee, but this girl, whose ass is almost as big as the backpack that Lauren has for a carry-on, really wants some banana nut bread.

 

 

 

Camila is ready to come home. Miami has always been home ever since she moved there with her family from Mexico, but since living in New York for school and staying to live there permanently even as she travels as a freelancer photographer, her heart has found a true home in New York. She was in Miami to visit her family, to her dear mother’s delight, who has been nagging her to visit for quite some time. _You’re always too busy nowadays, mija._

 

She loves her family, she really does, especially since they were more than accepting when she came out to them prior to moving to New York. She just never expected that they would be so accepting that every chance they get, they’re constantly bugging her about when she’s going to settle down and find a nice girl and blah blah blah. Camila is only twenty-five for crying out loud. And maybe she doesn’t want a “nice” girl, but whatever.

 

Her flight has been delayed three times already and she thought she’d pass the time by indulging in some banana nut bread. She was already imagining enjoying the treat on her walk to the Starbucks in the airport, only to be disappointed that they’ve run out.

 

“Are you absolutely positive that you don’t have any more? Maybe in the back?” Camila pleads to the cashier, who is not amused with her. In Camila’s defense, yeah she’d been pretty insistent, but at least she’d also been pretty polite about it. She really wants some banana nut bread.

 

“Ma’am,” the cashier says with a tight-lipped smile, trying in vain to hide her exasperation, “I’ve already checked twice in the back per your request and it _is_ eleven and we close at midnight, so I’m sorry, but it really seems that we’ve ran out,” she says finally. “Would you like to order anything else?”

 

Camila sighs, long and tired and defeated, as she looks around one more time in a last desperate attempt to see if any last minute banana nut bread would magically appear. She looks at the cashier dejectedly when she says, “Okay, thank you for checking. Can I just have a tall white chocolate mocha then?”

 

The cashier lets out a subtle breath of relief at finally getting the brunette to stop nagging about the bread that they really don’t have. “Will that be all?” she asks with a wide smile as she punches Camila’s order in, and at Camila’s sad nod, she picks up a cup and a marker, “May I get a name for the order?”

 

“Camila,” the brunette responds and is too tired and sad to clarify how it’s pronounced and spelled as she moves to the area where people are waiting for their orders, already bracing herself for the inevitable _Camilla_ coming her way.

 

 

Lauren is ready to kiss the cashier when she is finally able to move along the line and give her order. She quickly tells the cashier what she wants and provides her name, happy to finally be moving to the waiting section after what feels like a million years.

 

She’s standing near the crazy banana bread lady when she gets a proper look at her. Even with her disappointed face, Lauren notes that she’s very pretty with the way her long lashes flutter over beautiful, brown eyes and the way her cute nose gently slopes down the center of her face. Her jawline is sharp and she has nice, wavy brown locks that makes it look like she came straight out of a shampoo commercial. Lauren rakes her eyes over her petite body and her complementary large butt, which seems too big for her size, but in no way is the green-eyed girl complaining. Her lips look plump and luscious and Lauren wonders what it’ll feel like between her own and okay, she needs to stop fantasizing about this stranger. She shakes her head subtly and tries to look busy on her phone.

 

Lauren cringes internally when she hears the barista call out, “Tall white chocolate mocha for Camilla?” and can’t help herself when she says, “It’s Cameela.”

 

The barista looks apologetic and corrects himself. “Sorry, Camila,” he repeats as he tries to hand the drink to Lauren. Lauren quickly shakes her head and just as she’s about to say that she’s not Camila, the girl, who she presumes _is_ Camila steps up and says “thank you,” to the barista and sends Lauren a grateful smile. The green-eyed girl returns it and they keep each other’s gaze for a bit before the barista clears his throat and says, “Um- tall white chocolate mocha for Lauren?” he says, vaguely wondering to himself if he’s witnessing a meet cute right before his eyes.

 

“Thanks,” Lauren says as she gets her drink and sends Camila one more glance and a small smile before heading back to her gate. Camila starts going to her own when she realizes she’s going in the same direction as the girl that had corrected the barista for her. She tries to act nonchalant and not like she’s checking out the girl’s ass, lest she comes off as creepy.

 

Lauren takes a seat on one of the only two seats left near her gate and is pleasantly surprised to have the crazy banana bread lady sit next to her. They send each other shy smiles and just as Camila is about to address the girl, she sees the dark-haired girl unwrap her banana nut bread and her eyes widen.

 

“Hey!” she says, a little too loudly and she shrinks under the stare of disgruntled passengers before she returns her attention to the girl next to her. “The lady said they didn’t have any left and you were behind me,” she says with an accusatory finger and Lauren pauses mid-trying to take a bite.

 

 _Ah, just as I was ready to drop “crazy banana bread lady” for “Camila,”_ Lauren thinks.

 

“I already ordered this before I went back in line for a drink,” she explains calmly.

 

“So you were the one that took the last banana nut bread, then,” Camila nods, feeling an irrational wave of jealousy and anger that is at odds at the attraction she’s feeling for the girl. The girl has the most mesmerizing forest green eyes and Timmy Turner teeth that she somehow makes look attractive. Her ebony-black hair flows effortlessly in gentle waves just a little past her shoulders and she has naturally pouty, pink lips. Camila also finds herself drawn to the girl’s nose ring and wonders if she has any other piercings in her body that she can explo– okay, that’s enough, she scolds herself mentally. _This girl took your banana nut bread, Camila. She’s not worth your time_ _or attention, or your attraction for that matter._

 

“Well, I didn’t really ‘take’ it,” Lauren says with a teasing smile. “I did pay for it. You know, that thing humans do where they exchange goods for some kind of bartering medium, like money?”

 

Camila huffs and crosses her arms childishly and turns away from the girl. She _would_ have walked away for a more dramatic effect but she really doesn’t wanna give up her seat. God knows how long she’ll have to be stranded in this damn airport with the stupidly attractive banana bread stealer, so she settles for facing ahead. She can see the girl quietly chuckling to herself and eating _Camila’s_ bread and she fights the urge to grab the bread and run away. _You’re not five, Camila. Jesus, get a hold of yourself._

After the second announcement of another hour delay, Camila gives up and succumbs to sleep, hoping one of the passengers waiting with her would have the decency to wake her up once they finally board or the overhead announcer would be loud enough to wake her up.

 

Lauren is trying to pass the time reading comments and feedback on her new book on her phone when she feels someone gently lay their head on her shoulder. Her instinct is to move away, but when she gets a waft of vanilla and coconut from the girl’s hair and turns her head to look to her right, she’s reminded that she’s seating to the crazy banana bread lady.

 

She looks at her sleeping figure and smiles to herself, opting to slide in her seat a little to make Camila more comfortable. Aside from her obsession with banana bread, the girl seems harmless enough, so she lets the girl have some much needed rest. Maybe when she wakes up, she’d be less crazy.

 

Once the announcement says that they’re finally boarding and the brunette continues to lightly snore on her shoulder, Lauren reaches out a hand and gently nudges Camila’s shoulder, “Camila?” she whispers, trying not to startle the girl.

 

“Hmm, five more minutes,” the girl mumbles, snuggling further into Lauren’s shoulder.

 

Lauren chuckles lightly and the vibration on her head finally wakes Camila up as she sits up slowly, rubbing her eyes and trying to remember where she is. “Had a nice nap?” Lauren says with that same teasing grin that Camila wants to kiss off her stupid mouth.

 

“Sorry,” she mutters, and then adds, “And thank you for…” she gestures vaguely to Lauren’s shoulder.

 

Lauren just laughs and it’s raspy and full and Camila really would be endeared if she wasn’t still half asleep. “S’okay,” Lauren shrugs, “I think the drool on my shirt adds character,” she winks.

 

Camila gasps and says affronted, “I do _not_ drool!”

 

“I’m just kidding,” Lauren says, shouldering her bag and bringing both hands in the air in mock surrender, “You should get your stuff, the plane might leave without us,” she says with a final smile and walks towards the gate, handing her ticket at the gate person and proceeding to her first class seat.

 

Camila is still muttering to herself, annoyed with – well, she’s not really sure what she’s annoyed with -  but she is irritated. She’s grumbling as she struggles to place her bag in the overhead bin that’s above her seat when she feels someone gently push her bag inside and effortlessly close the bin. She’s about to say “thank you” but the words die in her throat when she turns to her side and comes face to face with the same teasing smirk and green eyes she’d dreamt about in her nap.

 

“You’re kidding me,” she says exasperatedly as she takes a seat next to the window.

 

“Nice to see you too, _Camila_ ,” Lauren says with a wide smile as she takes her seat next to the brunette.

 

The brunette ignores her and proceeds to put on the headphones that come with her seat and gets comfortable, setting up a movie on her side. Lauren shakes her head amusedly and settles in her seat, putting her own earphones in and hoping to catch some shuteye before they land in New York.

 

As Lauren stirs awake and slowly removes her earphones, she’s a little disoriented about her surroundings when she hears sniffling beside her. Surreptitiously, she puts away her earphones while trying to see the brunette out of the side of her eye and her suspicions are proven correct when she catches the girl trying to wipe tears off her cheeks.

 

In her hands is a novel that Lauren can’t see the title of but she becomes amused at watching the girl’s expressions change as she reads the book, which Lauren notes she’s almost finished with. Throughout the next half hour or so, Lauren can see Camila make a wide variety of facial expressions on the book she’s reading, ranging from anger to annoyance to endearment and when she finishes and finally closes the book, she huffs and just looks straight ahead, seemingly lost in her head.

 

“Well that was stupid,” Camila finally says and it’s then that Lauren is able to see what she’s reading. _You Were Always the Best Part of Me_.

 

“Excuse me?” Lauren says, fully turning towards the girl as she tries not to be affronted by Camila’s words.

 

Camila looks at Lauren for a few seconds, eyes and nose red, seemingly thinking about engaging in conversation with the attractive lady that stole the last banana nut bread, before she finally says, “I think this book is stupid.”

 

Lauren tries to rein herself in, seeing as she’s always been open to constructive criticism, so as calmly as she can, she says, “What was ‘stupid’ about it?” as she grips the arm rest between them.

 

***possible spoiler on _You Were Always the Best Part of Me_ ****

 

“Well,” Camila starts, “so the story is about these two girls, right? And they’ve been best friends since like forever and they fall in love blah blah blah, you know very cliché and overdone trope if you ask me,” she continues and Lauren is having a hard time not throwing the girl off the plane, but she persists.

 

“Okay,” Lauren says. “That’s why it’s stupid? Because the plot is overused?”

 

“Well, not really,” Camila says, scrunching her nose. “Don’t get me wrong, I _loved_ the writing, I mean this author is one of my favorites. I think she’s very talented and it’s a shame she uses a pseudo and no one really knows who she is except her publisher, but anyway,” and that commentary makes Lauren let out a subtle breath of relief. At least Camila doesn’t think her writing is bad.

 

“So, what’s the problem?” Lauren asks carefully.

 

“Well I don’t want to spoil it too much for you,” Camila begins to say and Lauren has to stop herself from blurting out that she already knows what happens considering it is _her_ book Camila is slandering. “But, basically, it seems rushed to me,” and okay, Lauren’s anger is back.

 

_Rushed?! I spent months just working on this story, writing and re-writing and negotiating with my editors and publishers about the smallest details to perfect it and she thinks it’s “rushed?” Okay, Lauren, breathe. You’ll never be able to publish another book if you end up maiming this girl._

Lauren takes a deep breath before she says, “Why do you think it’s rushed?”

 

“It’s just that,” Camila says, her tone edging on frustration, “This Michelle character, I feel like, she didn’t get enough of a redemption, you know? Like, she fucked up big time, okay, and next thing you know, Karla’s letting Michelle in her heart and in her pants and I just think she should have let the girl grovel a little bit more, you know what I’m saying?” she says, meeting Lauren’s eyes and gesticulating wildly once she finally lets herself relax and gets lost in talking about something she’s passionate about, like novels and plots.

 

Lauren can’t help but smile at the girl despite her comments, and she realizes where the girl is coming from after her explanation. Maybe she should have extended the story more. “Well, from what you’ve told me,” Lauren says carefully, trying not to give anything away about her true identity, “They’re best friends and they fell in love, and maybe, Karla is the forgiving type and she didn’t want to waste any more time not being with Michelle,” she finishes with a shrug.

 

“Hm,” Camila says thinking about Lauren’s response, “Maybe. I don’t know, I still want another book where Michelle spends most of it making it up to Karla and _maybe_ I’ll be okay, then,” she says with a cheeky smile that Lauren can’t help but return.

 

They finally turn away from each other when they hear the announcement to buckle their seat belts and prepare for landing.

 

*****

 

Camila is finally home and she’s barely gotten her luggage through the door before she makes a beeline for her bedroom, immediately plopping on her bed face first, her carry on bag still hanging off of her shoulder. She takes a nap for who knows how long in the same position before she finally gets up grudgingly and takes her stuff into her room to unpack.

 

Camila has gone through most of her bags and has only one left when she notices her phone has a few notifications she’d neglected to look at after waking up. She scrolls through her usual texts, smiling at Dinah’s _Welcome back, hoe_ and Normani’s _Did you bring me back anything? Like any cute Miami boys, or wings, or anything at all?_ She replies to those before seeing Ally’s _I made you a welcome back cake and left it in your fridge. See you soon!_ and she immediately goes to the fridge, checking to make sure she has the cake before thanking Ally.

 

Then she sees that she has a voicemail from an unknown number. She puts in her voicemail password and listens to it curiously,

 

“ _Um, hi,_ ” a familiar raspy voice says over the phone and Camila’s eyebrows shoot up. “ _This is Lauren Jauregui, um, and I don’t know if this is the same Camila that I sat next to in the plane, but it seems that we have the same suitcase, matching color and everything and might have accidentally switched our bags when we picked it up at baggage claim. Anyway, I have your bag and you can call me at this number and we can sort this out. Bye.”_

Camila looks at the bag on her bed and immediately panics. “Shit shit shit fucking shit fuck!” she mutters to herself as she hurries over to the luggage and frantically tries to open it. “This cannot be happening to me,” she says as she opens it and is greeted by clothes that are not her own. “Fuck,” she whispers as she groans and puts her head in her hands.

 

_Okay, Camila, she would have needed to dig pretty deep to see your – private things – there’s a good chance she might not have seen them at all._

 

After convincing herself that Lauren hasn’t seen her stuff, she takes a deep breath to call back but her eye catches on a rather large rectangular container that’s tucked into the side of the suitcase. Her curiosity gets the best of her and she pulls it out.

 

 _Oh well, if she’s seen my stuff, maybe I can have something to hold against her too and we’ll both be forced to just forget this ever happened_ , she rationalizes. She opens the case and bursts out laughing as she sees that it’s a collection of coins.

 

“Wow,” she says to herself. “I never would have thought with the leather jacket and the combat boots and the piercing green eyes that she’s a coin collector,” Camila chuckles.

She dials Lauren’s number and after a couple of rings, the other girl answers with a breathless “ _Hello?_ ” and Camila can’t help but imagine Lauren being breathless for reasons that are less than pure. She shakes her head at herself and answers back,

 

“Hey, this is Camila. Is this a bad time?” she asks while biting on her bottom lip.

 

“ _No, it’s good_ ,” Lauren says, still breathing heavily, “ _I’m just about finished with my run_.”

 

 _Oh._ _Of course._

 

“ _I’m assuming you got my message?”_ she asks and Camila is trying to decipher from her tone just how much Lauren has seen inside her bag.

 

“Yeah, um, so we can meet up somewhere tomorrow, if you’re free?” Camila asks, feeling nervous all of a sudden.

 

“ _Yeah sure,”_ Lauren answers easily, “ _How about by the café by South Street and Mill Boulevard near Central Park? I saw that your address says you live in Manhattan too, so is that okay?”_

 

The café is only a few blocks from Camila’s apartment and she wonders what the chances are of sitting next to the same person in the plane and living so close to one another.

 

_What if she lives in the same street as me? Or same building? Oh my god, what if she lives on my floor?_

Camila briefly glances at her door as if that would answer her questions and her thoughts are interrupted with “ _Um, hello? You still there?_ ”

 

Camila clears her throat and says, “Yeah, yeah. That sounds good. Are you good to meet at around noon?”

 

“ _That’s perfect!”_ Lauren replies. “ _See you tomorrow, Camila.”_

“Okay, see you. Bye,” Camila says and it’s not after she’s hung up that she notices her heart is beating fast and she’s breathing a little too quickly. She calms herself down and thinks about what she should wear for tomorrow.

 

*****

 

12:01 pm

**Green Eyes: Hey, sorry. Running a little late, you can go ahead and order a drink for yourself if you want**

_Camila: It’s cool, did you want me to order something for you too? My treat_

 

Camila looks at her text and cringes to herself. That sounds casual enough, right?

 

12:03 pm

**Green Eyes: If you really don’t mind, I’ll have a medium café con leche please**

_Camila: Okay, gotcha. See you soon_

**Green Eyes: Thanks! See you soon**

Camila puts her phone away and gets up from her seat to stand in line. She looks around the café and people-watches for a little while, making up stories about the customers. She figures the two well-dressed men talking in hushed tones in the corner were meeting up in a secret affair, away from their prying wives, and the two girls on the other side of the café secretly harbor feelings for one another but are both afraid to ruin the friendship.

 

Before long, she’s at the front of the line and she gives the barista her order before proceeding to the waiting area. She continues her stories in her head and rolls her eyes internally when she hears a,

 

“Medium hot mocha and medium café con leche for Camilla?”

 

“It’s Cameela,” Camila turns to see the green eyed girl approaching the bar and taking the drinks. She takes a seat across from Camila and takes a sip of her coffee, moaning in appreciation of finally having her dose of caffeine for the day.

 

Camila clears her throat and shakes her less-than-innocent thoughts before addressing the other girl, “I feel like you’re more annoyed when people mispronounce my name than me,” she says with a small smile.

 

“It’s really not hard name to pronounce,” Lauren shrugs. “Anyway, I can’t stay for long, but I have your suitcase in my car…” she trails off.

 

“Yeah,” Camila nods. “I have yours in mine too, so we can finish our drinks and exchange suitcases in the parking lot.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” Lauren easily agrees. They make small talk for a few minutes, learning a little bit about each other along the way. They bond over being from Miami and having Cuban heritage. Lauren also learns that Camila is a freelance photographer that has had major success in her young career, doing a few projects for _New York Times_ and _National Geographic_. Even though her main focus is on photojournalism, Camila isn’t afraid to dabble into other photography fields and still takes small-time gigs in New York, never feeling like she’s too good for a project despite the success she’s achieved.

 

Camila learns that Lauren is a novelist but the green-eyed girl doesn’t divulge much more outside of talking about writing as a passion. She’s not sure when it’s appropriate to let Camila know that she’s the author of the book Camila was happily slandering a few days ago.

 

When they meet up at each other’s cars after finishing their drinks, Camila is fidgeting and trying to figure out a way to subtly know just how much Lauren had seen inside the suitcase. The other girl, however, isn’t giving much away and the brunette wonders if she should use her coin collector card, although she figures that could easily backfire.  After Lauren pulls Camila’s suitcase out of her trunk, having already put her own away in her car, Camila turns to go after a small “thank you” and a short goodbye when she feels Lauren gently hold onto her arm.

 

“Hold up, wait,” Lauren says. Camila stays put and turns back, biting her lip nervously, thinking this is the part Lauren teases her about what’s in her suitcase. “I feel like the universe is telling us something in all these times we’ve had to meet, don’t you think?” Whew. No word about the strapless strap on. Wait what did she say?

 

“Huh?” Camila asks confusedly. Lauren just gives her one of her charming smiles and says,

 

“How about I take you out for coffee for real some time this week? You know, to pay you back for buying me coffee today and also to make up for stealing the last banana nut bread,” she says with a wide smile.

 

“Um – yeah, yeah sure,” Camila says after finally wrapping her head around this hot girl asking her out. Wait, she is asking her out on a date, right? “Yeah, I mean we already have each other’s numbers, so yeah, just text me the details,” she tries to say as calmly as possible.

 

“Great!” Lauren beams. She opens the door to the driver’s side but before going in, she gives Camila a mischievous look and leans in so her mouth is close to the brunette’s ear. “Love the color of your – _toy,_ by the way, she husks and then pulls back and watches amusedly as Camila’s face and ears turn bright red. “I think the bright pink really shows personality,” she winks and jumps in her car, driving away quickly before Camila can even begin to say anything back.

 

Camila looks around as if anyone could have heard Lauren’s words and walks to her own car, willing herself to forget the embarrassment she feels.

 

*****

 

“Ugh!” Camila says as she strips off the tenth outfit she’d tried on in the last hour. “What do I wear to something that may or may not be a date?” she asks exasperatedly, looking at her best friend, who’s lounging on her bed as if Camila’s not going through a real crisis. Dinah looks up for a second before she returns her attention on her phone and responds.

 

“How in the world do you not know if this is a date or not?”

 

“Well, she didn’t really say the word date but it kinda felt like she was asking me out?” Camila responds, scrunching her face in confusion. “I don’t know, it’s been a while for me. I just don’t want to assume, you know?”

 

“Okay, then,” Dinah huffs as she gets off the bed and scours into Camila’s closet. “Here, you should wear these,” she says presenting white skinny ripped jeans with a black haltered crop top. “Your ass looks great in those and it’ll give you that subtly sexy look,” she wiggles her eyebrows. “Like you picked a casual outfit that you look effortlessly good in, without you know, spending an hour in your underwear having a staring contest with your clothes,” she finishes teasingly.

 

“Thanks,” Camila says wryly as she puts on the outfit. She looks over her outfit and can’t help but think Dinah is right. “Really, though,” she says meeting Dinah’s gaze through the mirror, “Thanks, Dinah.”

 

“Aw, you’re welcome, Chanch” Dinah says wrapping her arms around the smaller girl. “Now go get your girl!”

 

*****

Their coffee date, which Camila is still not sure if it’s an actual, romantic date or a friendly one, goes pretty well nonetheless. It’s easy and relaxed and they banter as if they’ve been friends for life. They extend their coffee date to walking around in Central Park and getting dinner from a sketchy food truck that serves phenomenal, albeit questionable, tacos.

 

Camila is finishing up her taco and is throwing her wrapper away when she sees Lauren’s gaze focused on her lips. She’s about to ask if there’s something on her face when Lauren beats her to it.

 

“You’ve got a little…” she says while gesturing to her own mouth.

 

Camila just scrunches her nose and Lauren laughs as she reaches out her hand and uses her thumb to brush alongside the corner of Camila’s mouth delicately. Camila’s breath hitches in her throat as the light touch sends tingles from her mouth all the way down to the base of her stomach.

 

“There,” Lauren whispers as she pulls her hand back and casually licks the sauce off her finger, which only intensifies the heat between Camila’s thighs. They keep walking and Lauren resumes conversation as if she didn’t just send Camila’s senses into near overload.

 

When Lauren walks Camila to her door, the brunette is unsure of how she’s supposed to act but her thoughts get interrupted when the green-eyed girl leans forward and gives her a lingering kiss on her cheek, so close to her lips that it sends Camila’s mind reeling even more. “Night, Camz,” she whispers and turns around to head back to her car.

 

Over the next few weeks, Camila and Lauren spend more and more time together, having movie nights on Fridays and coffee dates on Wednesdays. They text each other frequently, Lauren ranting to Camila about her persistent writer’s block while Camila replies with relevant memes that never fail to make the dark-haired girl laugh.

 

At this point, Camila still doesn’t know where they stand. She knows they’re definitely friends, but neither have really made a move to suggest they’re anything more, although sometimes their touches will linger and Camila’s eyes will stay fixed on Lauren’s plump lips.

 

Camila is hanging out in Lauren’s apartment as the older girl is cooking them dinner when her eye catches on a familiar book. Or really, multiple copies of the same book. She takes the stack of copies in her hands and sits at the couch, furrowing her brows as she sees that they’re all brand new and signed with lengthy notes that end with an autograph from the author herself.

 

She furrows her brows when she says, “Hey, Lo?”

 

“Yeah?” Lauren yells from the kitchen.

 

“Why do you have so many signed copies of this book?” Camila asks, holding up one copy over the back of the sofa. Lauren leans forward on the breakfast table and sees the book, her face showing her shock, which causes the brunette to raise an eyebrow.

 

“Uh, hold on,” Lauren says as she hurriedly washes her hands and wipes them on the kitchen towel. She appears in front of Camila after a few seconds with a worried expression as she fidgets with her fingers. “Um, please don’t be mad,” she blurts out.

 

Camila just looks confused and says with a smile, “Laur, calm down.” She sets the copies on the coffee table and gently grabs Lauren’s restless fingers in her own, stilling them and lightly pulling the green-eyed girl to sit next to her. “What is it?” she asks calmly, her warm brown eyes searching Lauren’s curiously.

 

Lauren fiddles with both their fingers as she mutters, “I wrote _You Were the Best Part of Me_.”

 

“What?” Camila asks, her hands stiffening in Lauren’s.

 

Lauren takes a deep breath and looks up at Camila, “I said, I’m the author of that book,” she repeats herself, gesturing to the stack of books.

 

Camila looks at her bewildered and her facial expression transforms from confused, to a look of understanding, and finally, to one of horror. “What?!” she shrieks letting go of Lauren and jumping up from the couch. “What do you mean you’re the author?!”

 

“Well, I came up with the plot and characters, and then I used a word processor to type out words and form sentences and –”

 

“Lauren!” Camila interrupts the girl and she brings both hands to rub her face. “Oh my god, I can’t believe this,” she mutters against her hands and at that, Lauren gets up and extends her arms to slowly hold onto Camila’s, pulling her hands down and peering into brown eyes.

 

“I’m sorry,” Lauren whispers. “I know you’re mad and I shouldn’t have kept it from you and I’m sorry, but I just didn’t know how to bring it up after a while and-”

 

“Wait,” Camila says abruptly, scrunching her eyebrows, “You think I’m – I’m not mad,” she says finally.

 

“You’re not?” Lauren repeats.

 

“No,” Camila laughs lightly. “I’m embarrassed,” she says, her cheeks warming up.

 

“Wait, wh-,” Lauren says and it’s like a light bulb comes on in her head. “Oh, I see,” she sees with a teasing smile.

 

“Why would you let me talk shit about your work like that,” she says, lightly shoving Lauren away from her, although the smile on her face shows it’s without malice.

 

“Aw, Camzi,” Lauren coos pulling Camila back in her arms and patting her head lightly as she continues to tease her, “It wasn’t that bad really,” Lauren says as she pulls back. At Camila shaking her head and looking down, Lauren uses one hand to lift her chin up, gently forcing the girl to meet her eyes. “Really, I actually appreciate the unfiltered feedback,” she says sincerely.

 

Camila smiles at her, the other girl’s proximity heating up her face for other reasons than being embarrassed. “Well, I really do love your writing.”

 

“Thanks, bubs,” Lauren says cheekily, and then more seriously, “So you’re seriously not mad that I kept this from you?” she asks, biting her lip. Camila’s gaze immediately fixes on pink, plump lips trapped between shiny pearly whites.

 

“Um yeah,” Camila clears her throat, subtly moving back to gain some distance from Lauren. “Not at all, trust me,” she says with a smile.

“Cool!” Lauren says, going back to the kitchen while Camila stares after her longingly.

 

*****

 

Camila and Lauren continue to spend time together and build their relationship. What kind of relationship that is, Camila is still not sure, but she’s not about to ask Lauren because she’s not sure she’s prepared for however Lauren answers that question.

 

Camila learns that as badass and as tough as Lauren tries to portray herself to be, she’s actually scared of a lot of things. Like going to jail, which up until meeting Camila, Lauren thought was a pretty reasonable fear. The brunette, on the other hand, feels that the thrill of _almost_ getting caught is the best part. Lauren just looks at her like she’s grown another head, before she jumps in head first with the other girl. Camila has successfully convinced Lauren to try lots of borderline illegal things and although the green-eyed girl tries to put up a fight at first, she ends up doing whatever it is Camila asks her to do.

 

They sneak into concerts, illegally bring in foods into movie theaters, jaywalk everywhere they go, drive over 55 mph in highways, and Lauren feels like Camila is leading her into a life of crime, although she’s not sure she completely opposes it, as long as the brunette is by her side.

 

Lauren has always been a recluse for most of her life, preferring to work alone and staying in over dealing with other people and going out on the weekends. She’s always been most comfortable being by herself and writing her thoughts and emotions on paper, never really giving much thought to finding other outlets of expressing herself.

 

Since meeting Camila, however, she’s learned to relax and let loose, trying things she never thought she’d ever do, and for the most part, she’s thankful for everything Camila has convinced her to do.

 

For the most part.

 

Right now, she’s trying to figure out how she had gotten herself in this situation. As the employees work to strap her harness into place, she remembers why. Pleading brown eyes and an irresistible smile are what got her in this position:

 

Over three hundred feet off the ground, on top of a crane overlooking the Hudson Bay.

 

 

_Come on, Lo, didn’t take you as someone who was scared of heights._

_I’m not scared of heights. No one is scared of heights. People are, understandably, scared of falling._

_Falling is the best part._

 

 

 

“Hey, Lo. You ready?” Camila smiles at her widely, the wind blowing her fringes in every direction as the rest of her wavy, brown locks are up in a ponytail, her own harness already secured. Her eyes are bright, and her face is free of make-up but it seems to glow under the setting sun and for a split second, Lauren forgets she’s about to jump off a freaking crane.

 

After Lauren’s harness is secured and tightened and her own hair is tied up, Camila approaches her and places two gentle hands on the straps by Lauren’s shoulder, lightly pulling on it to get Lauren’s attention on her instead of green eyes worriedly scanning the floor hundreds of feet below them.

 

“Hey,” Camila’s soothing voice travels the air and brings Lauren’s attention back on the brunette. She looks into determined brown eyes and feels herself relaxing and the tension in her body dissipating like the clouds in the sky making way for the sun after a storm. “We got this, okay? _You_ got this,” Camila says, hands still gripping Lauren’s harness and eyes boring into Lauren’s.

 

“Yeah, yeah okay,” Lauren breathes out, a small smile forming on her face as she watches the excitement grow within Camila. “Let’s do this.”

 

Their bungee jumping instructor helps position them near the edge of the crane and guides them onto how to properly hold onto one another. They stand facing each other, Camila’s arms around Lauren’s shoulders and the green-eyed girl’s arms wound tightly against the brunette’s waist.

 

Camila can feel Lauren’s quick, sharp breaths on her neck as they hold each other tighter while the instructor steadily guides them to get closer to the edge. She can feel her own heart beat start to pick and Lauren’s heart thudding against her own somehow keeps her grounded. She locks eyes with the green-eyed girl, who musters up a smile when the instructor gently places his hands on both their hips and says above the winds howling around them, “You guys, ready?”

 

They look at each other one last time and nod to one another with smiles adorning their scared, but excited faces, and the instructor finally pushes them over the edge.

 

And they fall.

 

Lauren’s scream is caught in her throat as the rush of air going up against their falling bodies seem to completely encapsulate them, wrapping around their bodies and giving them a feeling of thrill that’s unlike any other. Lauren registers the feel of Camila’s arms tightening around her as they fall head first and she sees a glimpse of the orange sky seemingly moving away from them as they plummet in the opposite direction at a breathtaking speed.

 

Camila feels her heart drop with her as they plunge through the chilly November air, the rush of cold air feeling like tiny icicles grazing their exposed faces. It’s sharp and nippy, but exhilarating altogether. It feels like getting all of your breath abruptly pulled out from all the way to the base of your lungs, only to be rushed back with an invigorating force that you can’t help but want to lose your breath over and over if it’s returned in such an electrifying way.

 

Camila likens it to a feeling that’s a lot like falling for Lauren.

 

They lay hanging upside down, limbs still a tangled mess over one another, at the bottom of the crane as other employees walk to where they are. Once they’re both detached from the main rope and are safely out of the way for the next jumpers, Lauren takes Camila in her arms and spins her around gleefully.

 

“Oh my gosh, that was amazing, Camz!” she yells out happily. The brunette feels more than hears the dark-haired girl’s laugh, as Lauren laughs Camila’s favorite laugh, full-bodied and unabashed. “We did it!”

 

“Yeah,” Camila can’t help but share Lauren’s wide smile. “ _You_ did it, Lo,” she says sincerely as they pull back lightly, although Lauren keeps her arms around Camila’s waist.

 

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you, Camz,” Lauren responds as she pulls the girl into a hug. “Thank you,” she mutters against her neck as she tightens her hold on the brunette. Camila feels goose bumps run from the top of her neck, down her spine, and she closes her eyes in bliss as she returns Lauren’s hug just as tightly, thinking she’d jump again and again if she gets to have Lauren in her arms just like this.

 

*****

 

“Okay, is this the part where you show your true colors and kill me?” Camila says jokingly as she playfully glares at the girl in the driver’s seat. Lauren laughs at her, raspy and relaxed, and turns her head to look at Camila for a moment before returning her attention on the road.

 

“I promise, I’m not gonna kill you,” Lauren replies with a smile, while making a gesture of a cross over her heart. “How’s that sound?” she asks with a teasing smile.

 

“I mean, I guess it’ll do,” Camila shrugs as she returns her gaze on the window, watching how the main city lights give way to towering trees and dirt covered paths, dimly illuminated by sparsely scattered lamp posts. The gentle sounds of Lauren’s low humming to a song that’s lightly playing on the radio, coupled by the soft purring of the engine lull Camila to sleep as she rests her head on the window while Lauren drives them to some secret location.

 

“Camz,” Lauren whispers, gently nudging the girl so as not to startle her. “We’re here,” she says as the other girl stirs awake slowly. Camila rubs the sleep away from her eyes and looks at their surroundings. “This is as far as I can drive into the woods, so we’ll have to walk the rest of the way, but it won’t be far from here, I promise,” Lauren explains.

 

There are trees all around them and Camila can make out a path leading deeper into the forest. If it would have been anyone else, Camila would have asked for them to turn around and go home but there’s something about the glimmer in Lauren’s eyes and the gentleness in her voice that makes it easy for Camila to follow her, even if it’s to the ends of the earth.

 

“Okay, let’s go,” she says with a smile towards Lauren and the other girl’s eyes visibly light up.

 

Crisp yellow and orange fall leaves crackle under the weight of their steps as they walk through a path flanked by lines and lines of looming trees, Camila’s hand firmly in Lauren’s. Their path is illuminated by the bright stars of a cloudless night, aided by a light post every few yards, which lets Camila know they’re not exactly in the middle of nowhere.

 

Lauren leads them to a stone bridge with leafy vines slithered across its sides, that arches over a small river, its turquoise-blue water quietly rippling under them and shining under the moonlight. On the banks of the river are a few dimly-lit light poles that cast faded lighting along the borders of the water, and beyond the lights are more trees, some already baring their branches, while others sport full ember-red leaves on their boughs.

 

“Wow, it’s beautiful here,” Camila says, her eyes roaming the place, basking in the serenity that surrounds them like a warm blanket on a rainy day.

 

“Yeah,” Lauren breathes out, letting go of Camila’s hand to fiddle with her own fingers. “I brought you here because – I mean, this might sound dumb, but I- I was just thinking that um-”

 

“Laur,” Camila says as she grabs onto Lauren’s fidgeting fingers. “Relax, babe. It’s just me,” she says with a soft smile.

 

Lauren takes a deep breath and starts over, “Well you’re always telling me to do things I’m afraid of. _Live your life for once, Laur_ ,” the dark-haired girl says in what is supposed to be an impersonation of Camila’s voice with a teasing smile.

 

“I don’t sound like that, but continue,” Camila says, curious as to where this is going.

 

“I grew up with a lot of boys, you know, I was friends with a lot of my brother’s friends and I mean, you know how boys are,” Lauren says with a nervous chuckle.

 

Camila just nods for Lauren to continue.

 

“And they would do all these crazy things when we were younger, like sneak into places, and trespass into private lakes to swim, that kind of ‘teenage rebellion’ stuff,” the green-eyed girl continues, her gaze on her fingers, which are back to fiddling. “And they always made fun of me because I couldn’t do half of the stuff they were doing, and they were never really malicious about it, but you know, it’s one of those things that kind of just sticks with you as you grow up,” she shrugs.

 

“Oookay, do you want to go sneak into a private lake and swim or…” Camila says with a smile as she pokes at Lauren’s ribs teasingly.

 

“Camz!” Lauren squeals as she catches Camila’s hands easily. “No. But um-”

 

Camila just raises an eyebrow in question when Lauren pauses.

 

“One of the things I always thought I could do but never did was um –” she takes a subtle breath and then hurriedly gets out, “jumpfromthisbridge.”

 

The teasing smile on Camila’s face drops as she tries to process Lauren’s words. “What?”

 

“I wanna try to jump into the river from this bridge,” Lauren says more clearly, head help up high this time.

 

Camila’s mouth opens and closes and she shakes her head in an attempt to understand the situation. “Wha- why – I don’t – I – It’s almost midnight and it’s _November_ , Laur,” she says disbelievingly.

 

“Oh come on,” Lauren whines, gaining a burst of confidence and convincing herself more and more that what she’s proposing is not _that_ crazy. “I’m still the only one of my friends that haven’t tried it. Come on, Camz. Pleeasssee,” she says pleadingly, bottom lip jutting out and green eyes wide and imploring.

 

“You’re actually crazy,” Camila laughs. “Let me get this right,” Camila says as she meets Lauren’s hopeful eyes. “You want to jump off this bridge, in this –” she makes a gesturing wave with her hand to the water below them, “probably freezing ass water in the middle of the night with what exactly? What we’re wearing right now?” she waves at their jeans and sweatshirt-clad bodies.

 

“Well, to be completely honest, I didn’t think I’d actually have the courage to tell you what I wanted to do,” Lauren says while rubbing the back of her neck as her cheeks flush, not from the cold. “I thought I would chicken out and just show you my favorite spot, but I don’t know, just seeing you look at this place like you did gave me the courage to tell you anyway,” Lauren says meekly.

 

Camila’s gaze softens at Lauren’s words. She knows how reserved the girl usually is and she can tell it’s a huge step for Lauren to actually voice this insecurity. Combined with those pleading eyes and the soft spot Camila seems to have for the dark-haired girl, Camila wonders if she ever had a real chance of talking her way out of this.

 

The brunette rolls her eyes dramatically and sighs, “We didn’t bring any change of clothes.”

 

“So we’ll jump in our underwear,” Lauren shrugs and Camila chokes on air with the nonchalance of Lauren’s tone. Her yes bulge out of her sockets when she sees the girl start to take off her clothes, starting with her sweatshirt.

 

“Oh my god, Lo!” Camila says laughing. “You’re fucking insane, it’s freezing out here and there might be people,” she whispers the last part, feeling a bit scandalized.

 

The girl just gives her a wicked smile as she places her hands on the hem of her shirt and takes that off too. “There’s no one around here, Camz. Like you said, it’s almost midnight.”

 

Camila shakes her head and starts to remove her own clothes. “We’re gonna die, oh my god, this is crazy. I can’t believe this is happening,” she mutters to herself as she starts to pull off her own jeans. Lauren has stripped to just her underwear and is standing with her hands on her hips, waiting for Camila to finish.

 

Camila gets distracted by Lauren’s ivory skin, gleaming under the moonlight. Her full breasts are encased in a lacy black bra that provides the perfect contrast to her smooth skin. The brunette’s eyes travel down Lauren’s body and land on curvaceous hips, subtle abs, and strong thighs and she has to swallow the non-existent lump in her throat. It suddenly feels like a hundred degrees.

 

She’s brought out of her reverie with Lauren clearing her throat and crossing her arms, uplifting her cleavage and emphasizing it even more. “Like what you see?” she says with a smirk.

 

“Shut up,” Camila says, throwing her jeans at the girl as she tries to will the blush on her face to go away. “Okay, crazy, let’s do this.”

 

They walk gingerly to the edge and help each other get over the railing until they’re both precariously stood on the outer ledge, with their hands clutching on the barrier behind them. Camila estimates that they must be at least thirty feet above the water, which is a good distance away.

 

She’s almost ready to back out but when she turns to see Lauren and watches as her green eyes light up with apprehension and excitement, she takes her left hand and intertwines it with Lauren’s right. Lauren looks up at her and gives her a nervous smile as she squeezes the brunette’s hand. “Ready?” Lauren asks.

 

“As I’ll ever be,” Camila says with a light laugh. “On three, okay?”

 

Lauren nods resolutely and faces the water below them.

 

One.

 

 

Two.

 

 

Three!

 

 

They let go of the barrier and jump off the ledge hand in hand, their movements causing a few small rocks to get scraped from the edge of bridge, freefalling into the water below them. The small rocks slope off the bridge and fall into the water with gentle splashes, sending off small concentric ripples, their otherwise calm landing in the water disrupted by two larger bodies diving in the abyss with them.

 

Camila feels a shock of cold run from the tip of her toes to the rest of her body, igniting the nerves in her system as the water engulfs her entirely. The cold shock dissipates from her body in the same way the morning fog clears as the dawn gives way to daylight and Camila feels all of her senses alight as the water wraps around her. She swiftly maneuvers to the surface and takes a large breath of air, using a hand to run through her hair as she lets out a light laugh.

 

She makes eye contact with Lauren and they burst out into full-bodied, delighted laughter, eyes crinkled, cheeks bunched, and mouths in wide open smiles. Lauren’s face is bright and happy and the smoothness of her flawless, alabaster skin shines even in the dim light, sending Camila’s heart rate into a rapid staccato. The water around them appears in silver-like waves, undulating gently under the gleaming stars and Camila has never felt so _alive_.

 

“We did it!” Lauren cheers gleefully as they swim closer to the banks so they won’t have to tread so much. Once their feet touch the ground, Lauren hurries to Camila and takes the girl in a warm embrace, her strong arms gliding effortlessly and slicing through the water as she wraps them around the brunette’s slim waist, twirling her in the water happily as they send off another wave of ripples through the water around them. Camila can feel the rumble of Lauren’s laugh permeate through her body as the green-eyed girl spins them around happily and the younger girl holds on tight, the skin on skin contact across their entire bodies sending shivers down her spine.

 

Lauren finally slows them down and they pull away slightly from one another. Camila’s face is inches from Lauren’s and at their proximity, she gets a closer look at the myriad of colors - amber, different shades of green, specks of black - spattering Lauren’s emerald irises. She feels the dark-haired girl squeeze her bare hips and when she focuses on where Lauren’s eyes are fixed, her breath gets caught in her throat as she sees the girl looking at her lips.

 

She sees green eyes disappear behind dark, long lashes as Lauren leans in and captures her lips in a soft, but searing kiss. Lauren wraps her plump lips around Camila’s and tilts her head to deepen the kiss. The brunette’s hands immediately go to Lauren’s dark locks, gripping her hair tightly when she feels the other girl’s tongue probe at her mouth. She gasps when Lauren rakes her fingernails down her bare back, ending at her ass, and the dark-haired girl takes the chance to slip her tongue into Camila’s warm mouth.

 

Their tongues expertly move over one another and Camila can’t help the moan that rumbles from the base of her throat when Lauren’s hands tighten around her butt as she continues to sensually explore the brunette’s mouth with her tongue, pushing in and pulling back at all the right moments, leaving Camila’s mind reeling and her body on fire despite the frigid air around them.

 

When Lauren pulls back, her eyes are blown and her lips are wet and swollen with bite marks from Camila nipping at them. The girl’s cheeks are flushed and her ragged breathing is in tandem with the way Camila’s own chest is heaving up and down.

 

“We should get going,” Lauren says breathlessly, her arms still around Camila and her eyes back on the brunette’s lips.

 

“Y-yeah,” Camila answers, just as breathless.

 

Lauren closes her eyes and leans her forehead on the other girl’s, sighing contently. “Thanks for this, Camz,” she whispers against Camila’s mouth. Camila savors the warm breath on her lips and smiles.

 

“Anytime,” she replies, still recovering from Lauren taking her breath away.

 

*****

 

“I don’t know, Cheech,” Camila mutters into the phone, chewing on the strings of her hoodie as she lays upside on her couch, her legs against the back of it and her sock-clad feet in the air.

 

“ _What do you mean you don’t know?! How do you not know?”_ Dinah’s voice rings through the phone and Camila winces a little.

“I just- ugh,” she groans frustratedly as she swings her legs over and stands up, opting to walk around her apartment, touching random things while trying to come up with an answer. “I mean, when we’re together, it _feels_ like we’re a couple. We hold hands, we laugh together, we have fun, we talk about important stuff,” she takes a breath and hurriedly mumbles, “We kiss.”

 

“ _You kiss?!”_ Dinah screeches in her ear and Camila has to take a second for the ringing in her head to subside.

 

“Dinah!” Camila yells back. “Stop yelling at me.”

 

“ _Sorry_ ,” the other girl answers meekly. “ _I just don’t know how you don’t know if you’re in a relationship or not_.”

 

Camila sighs loudly as she walks around her kitchen, opening cabinets without really looking inside and then closing them back up again. “I just don’t want to assume,” she says, somewhat sadly.

 

“ _Okay, how about you both act like the adults the you are and talk about it,”_ Dinah says like she’s presenting the best idea in the world. “ _It’s funny, it’s almost like communication is a thing, huh?”_ she sasses.

 

Camila laughs at that and she relaxes a little. “You’re right, Cheech,” the brunette responds. “I’m just gonna talk to her about it,” she continues in a convincing tone. “Just gonna go ahead and ask. No big deal at all.”

 

“ _Yeah, good luck with that_ ,” Dinah laughs into the receiver.

 

*****

 

Camila and Lauren are at an exhibit of one of Camila’s closest photographer friends and they’re admiring a black and white photo of a rice field in a rural town in the Philippines when the brunette hears her friend calling for her.

 

“Mila!” a short brunette with sharp cheekbones and a high ponytail approaches them as she trots towards the couple as quickly as she can with her high heels.

 

“Ari!” Camila says just as excitedly as the other girl. Camila lets go of Lauren’s hand and the green-eyed girl frowns at the loss of contact as she watches her girl wrap her arms around this ‘Ari’ girl.

 

“Hey, girl!” Ari squeals happily as she hugs the other brunette and sways Camila from side to side. “Oh my gosh, I’m so glad you could make it!”

 

“Yeah, of course,” Camila absolutely _beams_ at her as she pulls back and Lauren feels like taking her girl’s hand and whisking her away but that may be considered in bad form to some so she stays put, clutching at her champagne glass. “This is amazing, Ari,” Camila says, with admiring eyes looking around. “Your stuff just keeps getting better.”

 

“Thanks,” Ari says as her eyes land on Lauren and the girl straightens up immediately. Camila follows her gaze and looks startled for a second, as if she forgot she was with someone. Then with a wide smile, she introduces two of the most important people in her life.

 

“Ariana, this is Lauren,” Camila says gesturing to the green-eyed girl. “Laur, this is Ariana,” she says happily. “The one that taught me everything I need to know about photography.”

 

“Oh please,” Ariana says bashfully. “Camila’s a natural.”

 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Lauren says extending her hand and putting on a smile as genuinely as she can. Ariana and Camila catch up for a little bit before Ariana’s attention is needed by her other guests. Before they part, however, the photographer asks a question that throws the pair for a loop.

 

“So you guys are like together, right?” Ariana says playfully, wiggling her eyebrows at Camila, who blushes furiously at the girl’s antics.

 

“Yeah, she’s my girlfriend.”

 

“No, we’re just friends.”

 

“What?!” Camila and Lauren exclaim at the same time, whipping their heads to look at one another, both of them mirroring each other’s bewildered expressions.

 

“I’m your girlfriend?” Camila voices out in a high-pitched voice.

 

“Wha – I, I mean - you didn’t know?” Lauren asks incredulously.

 

“Um, I’m gonna go…” Ariana chuckles nervously as she points to a random area in the museum, “…uh feed my cat. Yeah, you know, give you two some space to talk,” she says hurriedly as she walks away, neither girl really paying attention to her.

 

“I’m sorry,” Camila says although she’s not sure what she’s apologizing for. “It’s just, we didn’t really, we never like – you never asked me to be your girlfriend? And I guess I never asked you either,” Camila cringes at her own words.

 

“But we kiss all the time. What did you think that meant? Do you think I’m the type to just kiss people for no reason?” Lauren asks, her tone hinting at being hurt at the thought. Then her eyes widen a little, “Wait, have _you_ been kissing other people?”

 

“What? No!” Camila replies a little more loudly than she intended. She sends the people whose attention she’d inadvertently gotten a sheepish smile when she replies in a softer tone, “No. I just – I don’t know, Laur. I didn’t wanna assume and be wrong and we never talked about it,” she concludes, meeting Lauren’s eyes.

 

Something quick flashes through Lauren’s eyes but Camila’s too distraught to look more into it and then Lauren nods resolutely to herself and says, “You’re right. We never talked about us.”

 

“Yeah, but I mean it’s not like I’m pressur-”

 

“You ready to go?” Lauren asks her abruptly, her face expressionless.

 

“Laur,” Camila sighs dejectedly.

 

“I mean it’s getting late, let me take you home,” Lauren insists. “Or did you want to stay for a bit?” Camila searches her eyes for something – anything, to shed light on how she’s really feeling and comes up with none.

 

“Yeah sure,” Camila answers sadly and she feels an unfamiliar sense of tension when Lauren walks ahead and doesn’t grab her hand like she usually would.

 

*****

 

“I think I really fucked up, Dinah” Camila says dejectedly into the phone as she stretches on her bed, just waking up from a five-hour nap she’d planned to only be thirty minutes long. It’s almost six in the evening on the Saturday after the whole museum debacle and Dinah is calling to make sure she’s still alive because the brunette has been MIA in the last week. It’s been five days since Lauren _really_ talked to her. They’ve kept in contact through text, but they’ve been dry for the most part, nothing like the conversations she’s gotten used to in the last few weeks.

 

“ _I told you that you really should’ve talked about your status as soon as you could, Mila_ ” Dinah says sympathetically.

 

“Yeah well, I don’t even know how to bring it up now,” she replies.

 

“ _You guys will figure it out._ _Honestly, Chanch, just sit her down and just talk,_ ” the blonde answers through the phone.

 

“Yeah yeah, thanks, Cheech,” Camila says. “Now that you’ve made sure I’m alive, am I allowed to continue to sulk in peace?”

 

“ _As long as you talk to Lauren once you’re done with your pity party,”_ Dinah says teasingly.

 

“Whatever, bye. Love you,” Camila says rolling her eyes, but smiling nonetheless.

 

 _“Love you too, Walz,”_ Dinah replies. “ _Bye.”_

 

Camila hangs up the phone and takes a deep breath as she prepares to tackle the day, or what’s left of it. She’s still trying to rub the sleep from her eyes as she’s walking out into the kitchen and almost has a heart attack when she sees Lauren packing some food into a picnic basket on her breakfast table.

 

“What the hell, Lauren!” Camila gasps, her hand on her rapidly beating heart. “You scared me,” she says almost breathless.

 

“Good morning, princess,” Lauren says with a smile, ignoring the girl’s dramatics as she continues on with her task. They have keys to each other’s apartment for “emergencies” but they use them to practically live in each other’s place ever since they grew closer. Camila regards her with a raised eyebrow. She’s wearing joggers that hug her in all the right places, an unzipped windbreaker jacket over a crop top that shows off her abs, and some running shoes. Her wavy, dark hair is up in a ponytail, her widow’s peak more prominent than ever.

 

Camila starts to feel self-conscious in her SpongeBob sleep shirt, short shorts with pizza prints on them, and fuzzy banana socks. She gingerly sits on a stool, propping her chin on her hands on the table as she eyes the girl, “Why are you raiding my kitchen, anyway?”

 

“I actually bought all of this stuff,” the green-eyed girl responds, eyes still focused on packing the food. “Just brought the ingredients here to make some food. I was gonna ask you to help me but,” she says looking up and making a point to look at Camila’s outfit, “You were passed out so I didn’t wanna disturb your beauty rest,” she says with a smile.

 

“So is this for…” Camila trails off, not really sure where they stand.

 

Lauren sighs and finally gives her undivided attention to Camila. She moves around the table to be closer to Camila. She would have liked to stand in between the other girl’s legs and pull her into a hug but she’s not sure if it would be appropriate given the uncertainty of their relationship.

 

“I’m sorry for not really being around in the last week,” Lauren says sincerely. “I’ve just been busy preparing something,” she says while rubbing the back of her neck.

 

“It’s okay, Lo,” Camila replies with a small smile. “But um-  are we, okay?” she asks hesitantly. Lauren’s smile is wide and genuine when she responds,

 

“We’re more than okay, Camz. Now,” she claps her hands together enthusiastically, “Why don’t you change into something comfortable that’s decent for going outside as I finish packing this,” she says, gesturing to the picnic basket. “I wanna take you somewhere, and since I know you probably haven’t eaten, I’ve prepared a picnic as well,” she says with a smile.

 

Camila smiles at how easy it seems to get right back into their rhythm. She looks at the other girl teasingly as she walks back to her room slowly, “Am I gonna need swimwear or…?”

 

“Nope,” Lauren replies, popping the ‘p.’ “Just your beautiful self in some comfortable clothes,” Lauren says with a wink.” Camila blushes and hurries to her room.

 

They’re walking in what looks like a camping ground slash hiking trail, Camila holding the picnic basket as Lauren carries a large duffel bag on her shoulder, when Camila finally breaks the comfortable silence. “Where are we going?” Camila huffs as she struggles through the path while Lauren seems to freaking glide through the rocky trail.

 

“You’ll see soon enough, babe,” Lauren chuckles, the term of endearment falling naturally from her lips and it’s enough to keep Camila going.

 

At the end of the trail, they reach a wrought iron gate that seems to open up to an obstacle course. Camila’s brows raise as she registers what’s beyond the gate and she becomes even more confused when Lauren starts pulling out a huge set of keys.

 

“Lauren!” she whisper-yells. “Where did you get those?” she asks, pointing to the keys that look like they might belong to someone who works in the place.

 

“Relax,” Lauren chuckles as she tries to single out the key she needs. “We’re here legally, I promise,” she says, finally locating the key and trying to open the gate.

 

“I don’t know if I believe that,” Camila replies suspiciously, squinting her eyes at the other girl. “I feel like I’ve turned you into a lawbreaker,” she teases Lauren.

 

“Eh, following the rules was boring anyway,” Lauren responds, winking at Camila. Once she finally gets the gate open, she takes Camila’s hand in hers and leads her through the course. They end up at a rock climbing set-up and Lauren takes the basket and her duffel bag and places them on a platform connected to a pulley, using the equipment to send their stuff to the top of the climb.

 

“Okay, you first,” Lauren says to Camila, pointing to the rock climb and the brunette groans.

 

“Laureeenn,” she whines. “Why are you making me do physical activity at this hour?”

 

“Come on, Camz,” Lauren implores. “The faster we do this, the quicker you’ll see the surprise.”

 

Camila huffs and crosses her arms, “Why do I have to go first?”

 

“So I can catch you if you fall,” the dark-haired girl shrugs and Camila’s gaze softens, then she chuckles.

 

“You just wanna look at my ass,” she says beginning to climb.

 

“That too,” Lauren nods, following after her, half keeping an eye on Camila in case she falls, and half checking out her butt in the tight leggings she’s wearing.

 

Once they reach the platform on top of the climb, Camila sees that there’s a tight, wooden suspension bridge attached to the top, leading to a spot she can’t see in the darkness.

 

Lauren climbs up after her and brushes her hands, “So? Let’s continue then, m’lady” she curtsies and Camila laughs.

 

“You’re a dork,” the brunette responds. She eyes Lauren carefully, noting her cautious movements as she gathers their stuff. “You okay?”

 

Lauren turns to her for a second and nods, “Yeah, why?”

 

“I know you’re not exactly fond of heights,” she responds. “Or wait, sorry, _I’m not afraid of heights, Camz. I’m afraid of falling_ ,” Camila says in a mock deep, husky tone.

 

“Wow,” Lauren laughs. “You do a worse impression of me than I do of you.”

 

“Match made in heaven then, huh?” Camila says teasingly.

 

“Exactly,” Lauren says seriously, meeting Camila’s eyes. “And,” she adds, looking around. “I find that I’m able to conquer a lot of things when I’m with you.” And Camila’s heart flutters at Lauren’s words.

 

“Alright, Casanova. Let’s keep going,” Camila says, shaking her head fondly. The small wooden, bridge is narrow, so Camila goes on it first with the basket, Lauren following closely behind with the duffel bag. As much as Camila wants to try to enjoy the view, she’s more focused on holding onto the sides for dear life and watching her step so she doesn’t somehow fall over the railing

 

When they reach the end, Lauren moves off to the side and starts to tinker with something. Then, like something out of a Disney movie, she sees fairy lights come to life around her and Lauren moves about, lighting some artificial torches to further brighten the area. Camila sees that there’s a thick fluffy blanket set up near the middle, complete with pillows and some folded blankets. They’re on some type of lookout that has a view of the wooded mountains beyond the campsite and Camila’s breath gets taken away by all of it.

 

There’s a nice cool breeze where they stand and Camila can see faint outlines of the serrated mountains spread out in the distance, their tops lightly illuminated by the night sky, as she registers the faint sounds of the night in the background – the light cooing of an owl nearby and the steady chirping of crickets.

 

“Laur,” Camila smiles softly at the girl, who’s standing by the side timidly, her hair gently flowing in the night breeze. “What is all this?” Lauren walks up to her and gently takes her hand.

 

“Why don’t we eat some dinner first, catch up, and I’ll explain everything after?” Lauren asks nervously and Camila nods, moving to the blanket, but not before leaving a kiss on Lauren’s cheek, causing the other girl’s face to warm up.

 

They eat the food Lauren packed and talk about everything and anything they could think of. One of the biggest things Camila has missed from Lauren’s company is their conversations, which never fail to make Camila laugh, smile, or think about different things in brand new ways. She missed the way they intellectually stimulated each other and just the warmth and comfort that always seem to surround her whenever she’s with the green-eyed girl.

 

“So?” Camila says, trying to meet the other girl’s eyes when they finish the dessert. “You wanna tell me what’s going on?”

 

Lauren takes a deep breath as she starts to fiddle with her pearl ring. “Well, I wasn’t really sure how to do this, but um- , first,” she stutters out. “I took you out here because I was serious earlier,” the girl explains, looking up at Camila. At the brunette’s slight nod, Lauren continues. “I wanted to do something that shows that with you, everything I fear seems trivial if it means getting to see you happy,” Lauren says with a smile. “And your face when you saw the view was definitely worth it.”

Camila’s smile is soft and her eyes are warm and filled with fondness as she listens to the other girl.

 

“But like I said, I didn’t know how to really do this properly, so I figured I could say it in a language you understand,” she says pulling the duffel bag close to her and rummaging through it, finally taking out some type of scrap book from it. “Here,” Lauren says, handing the book to Camila. “Now, fair warning, I’m nowhere near as good as you in photography,” she chuckles. “But I tried my best,” she says nervously.

 

Camila takes it curiously and notes that it’s a handmade scrapbook, Lauren’s neat handwriting gracing the front cover, _Our Time Together_. She looks up at Lauren with a raised eyebrow and Lauren just gestures for her to open it.

 

When she opens to the first page, Camila smiles at its contents. On the right page is a picture they took in Camila’s car on their way to one of their first adventures together – when they went bungee jumping.

 

On the left page is a caption in Lauren’s neat script:

 

_The first time she asked me to jump <3_

Camila turns to the next page and sees a selfie they took together after jumping off thirty feet from the stone bridge into freezing water in the middle of the night. They’re dressed in their hoodies, still wet from swimming, and are standing by the water, Lauren giving Camila a lingering kiss on the cheek.

 

_The moment I knew I fell <3_

Camila doesn’t realize her smile grow wider as she continues to flip through the pages, reminiscing through the different times they spent together. There are pictures from concerts, movie nights, and random things that they did in the spur of the moment.

 

Her breath catches in her throat when she sees the last picture.

 

It’s a picture of the wooden bridge they crossed earlier and to its left,

 

_Where I asked her to be mine <3_

Camila turns to look at Lauren and her eyes begin to fill with tears as Lauren gently takes her hand and intertwines their fingers, lifting their hands to her lips and leaving a soft kiss by the brunette’s knuckles.

 

“Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao,” Lauren starts, her green eyes shining in the moonlight. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

 

“Yes, of course,” Camila breathes out and reaches out to grasp Lauren by the back of her neck and tug her close, crashing their lips together in an eager kiss. Their lips move in a familiar rhythm, but the kiss gets cut short when they begin to smile too widely into one another.

 

Lauren pulls back and rests her forehead on Camila’s, eyes closed and heart in bliss, “I don’t know why we took so long to figure this out,” she chuckles.

 

“Me neither,” Camila laughs as she pulls Lauren into another heated kiss.

 

They take one more picture with the polaroid that Lauren brought with her and they place it right below the picture of the bridge.

 

_With my girl <3_

 

*****

 

The End.

 

*****

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
>  
> 
> Shout out to FairyTwinkle96 and chained on here for some of the feedback on You Were Always the Best Part of Me that I used for this one shot. I really do appreciate feedback, especially constructive criticism, so don’t be afraid to tell me how it is.
> 
>  
> 
> I feel like I’m using these one shots as a way to procrastinate on this full fic that’s been sitting in my head for a while.
> 
>  
> 
> As always, hoped you guys enjoyed this one and feel free to leave a vote/comment/feedback if you want!
> 
>  
> 
> Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!
> 
>  
> 
> p.s. there are pictures for the scrapbook on wattpad
> 
>  
> 
> -Maddox


	6. there's nothing like me and you (and you know it)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Famous Lauren sets up a dating account and uses her real picture. Camila meets up with her after the site matches them, thinking that she’s definitely going to get catfished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up at jaureguicabello5eva on wattpad

 

Lauren has been looking at her computer screen for a good twenty minutes and she’s ready to call it quits and succumb to her ultimate fate of never finding anyone. She thinks she’ll be fine growing old alone with just her two cats if she doesn’t have to talk about what she likes to do in her free time ever again. Because now that she thinks about it, she doesn’t have much free time in her lifestyle anyway and so when she has a cleared schedule for the first time in almost two whole years, it’s like she’s forgotten how to function like a normal, social person.

 

She just finished her worldwide tour and has been give a couple months of break before she has to be back in the studio and although she’s thoroughly enjoyed it thus far, she was also reminded of just how single she is. Her best friend, Dinah, tired of her dramatics and constant complaints about being single finally pushed her to make a dating profile online _because you never know, Laur. There are success stories in those things too, you know._ _Your last real relationship was your cheating ex and it’s time you get him out of your system, girl!_

 

The raven-haired girl thought about it for a while and figured she doesn’t have much to lose.

 

_What are your hobbies?_

Lauren thinks about what she does when she’s not on stage or the studio or writing music. She wiggles her fingers, hovering just above the keyboard of her laptop as if that’s suppose to help her type up her profile.

 

“Okay,” she says to herself. “I like…to watch the food channel,” she says out loud as she types. “Oh! And hanging out with my cats. I also like to read anything and everything I can get my hands on.” Once she starts typing, she starts getting more comfortable and actually begins to feel excited to know that she has a life outside of music after all. “I prefer quiet nights in over partying in a club on the weekends and am currently learning how to knit.”

 

Lauren has a huge smile on her face when she starts to reread her profile, which quickly drops into a frown once she finishes going over it. “Oh my god, I’m a 90-year old grandma,” she groans as she drops her head on the dinner table and whines to herself. “God, this is stupid. How did I let Dinah talk me into doing this?” she asks herself. “There’s gotta be better ways to meet people.”

 

She reluctantly finishes the rest of her profile, citing her eyes as the first thing people notice about her (despite the question specifically saying “other than appearance”), music as the one thing she can’t live without, and the brain as the part of the body that she’s most attracted to. She figures that’s really not where that question was trying to lead her to but she doesn’t really give a fuck at this point. Whoever this site is going to match her with is just going to have to deal with her singing, knitting, and books-reading ass.

 

The green-eyed girl downs the rest of the wine in her glass and looks over the profile one more time, uploading one of her favorite pictures from her recent _Vogue_ shoot as her profile pic before she clicks on submit. She heads straight to her bedroom afterwards and refuses to give the site another look, figuring that whatever happens, happens.

 

\--

 

Camila’s attention is brought out of watching MasterChef Junior when she hears an unfamiliar chime on her phone. She raises an eyebrow at the notification when she sees it’s from the dating site she’s been on for a couple weeks now.

 

Her roommate and best friend, Normani, had created a profile for her without her knowledge because the girl thinks it’s high time Camila moved on from her ex and she couldn’t take the pouting and moping around anymore so she took matters into her own hands.

 

In Camila’s defense, it had only been, like, two years since…she who shall not be named, so it hasn’t been that long. And she really _is_ over the girl. She swears on it. _Maybe_ she still feels a tiny, minuscule, super small, barely-noticeable bit of care for the other girl, but that’s probably only because they grew up as best friends and she was Camila’s first _everything._ So yeah, she’s not going to just abandon and completely forget the girl, even though that’s what she did to Camila, but she _is_ over her.

 

Anyways, to prove her point, after initially freaking out over a dating profile that she did not create herself, Camila eventually gave in, if only to convince her friend that she’s totally fine and is just completely enjoying the single life, is all.

 

She’s changed a few things on her profile that Normani would probably shake her head at, but she figures she should be as honest as possible as to not send the wrong impression on whoever matches with her.

 

The brunette looks at the profile that was matched to her and laughs out loud in her empty apartment. The girl is using Lauren Jauregui, famous world-wide, multi-platinum selling pop star, as their profile picture and has hanging out with her cats and knitting on their list of hobbies. This girl is unbelievable, she thinks. How dumb can she be to use an actual famous person to catfish?

 

She shakes her head at the person and at the site creators for matching her with an obviously sketchy person and is ready to reject the match and exit out of it when she comes up with a brilliant plan. She’s going to meet up with this person and give them a lesson about fooling people on the internet. The brown-eyed girl thinks it should be fun to call someone out on their bullshit.

 

\--

 

Lauren is fixing herself some cereal when she gets the dating app notification on her phone and she makes a mad dash to retrieve it before Dinah gets to it. The blonde Polynesian raises an eyebrow at her, which the raven-haired girl just shrugs off.

 

“Oooh, you got a hot date, Lauser?” the taller girl asks teasingly, waggling her eyebrows for effect.

 

“Shut up, Dinah,” Lauren rolls her eyes at the girl and moves away from her to read the notification. “Why are you still here anyway?” she huffs while discreetly trying to read the notification.

 

“Ally’s running a little late,” the other girl shrugs, but Lauren’s attention is elsewhere.

 

The raven-haired girl smiles at the profile that was matched to her. The girl, Camila, listed eating bananas as a hobby and talks about writing music as well, immediately intriguing the singer. After reading more about the girl’s favorite author, Charles Bukowski, and music artists, Ed Sheeran and The 1975 among others, the green-eyed girl decides she’d like to meet up with the girl. The picture on her profile is a whole body picture so Lauren has a hard time really seeing the details of her face but she can tell that the girl probably has Latin roots based on her features and one thing that’s not hard to notice, is that ass.

 

\--

 

**Lauren: Hey (:**

 

_Camila: Hi ((:_

 

**Lauren: I read your profile and it says that you like The 1975? I love them and actually met Matty a couple times before**

 

_Camila: Really?! That’s so cool, I’d love to meet the whole band someday. *sighs* Anyways, I saw that you’re into knitting? How’s that going?_

 

**Lauren: It turns out I’m not as good with my fingers as I thought**

 

**Lauren: Oh my gosh, I’m sorry, I totally didn’t mean for that to come off as sexual**

 

_Camila: lmao, well I hope your lack of talent in the fingers department is limited to knitting ;)_

 

Camila cringes at the message she sends in the dating app’s messenger. Is she really flirting with this catfishing lady?

 

**Lauren: haha, well that’s for you to find out ;) anyways, since the dating app gods have decided that we make a good match based on our profiles, would you be willing to meet up?**

 

Camila thinks about it for a second and decides to go on with her plan.

 

_Camila: Sure! Where do you wanna go?_

 

**Lauren: Well, I was thinking we could go somewhere kind of quiet? Like somewhere public, but also discreet. I don’t want to freak you out or anything, but I just don’t want big crowds**

 

Camila re-reads the last message a few times and furrows her brows. Is this girl really sticking to the persona of Lauren Jauregui?

 

_Camila: Yeah sure, your location says L.A., so how about the café by broadway and center street, it’s pretty low-key and only hardcore hipsters or 90-year old grandmas go to that one_

 

**Lauren: sounds like my kind of place. I’ve never been, but that should work. When are you free?**

 

_Camila: I have work all week so how does Friday night sound? Around seven?_

 

**Lauren: I’ll see you then (:**

 

_Camila: ((:_

 

\--

 

Lauren is fidgeting with her fingers as she nervously looks around. She’s wearing a baseball cap with her hair tied through the hole in the back and a grey NY hoodie with black ripped jeans so as to keep a low profile but she can’t help but think she’ll be found out. This is L.A. after all. She chose a somewhat hidden corner in the café and hopes Camila will be able to find her. As she surveys the area however, she feels a little relieved that not a single person is paying attention to her, everyone else too absorbed in their laptops and books and skinny lattes.

 

She had continued texting with Camila as they eventually progressed to exchanging numbers throughout the week leading up to their meet up and she can’t help but be excited. The girl is funny and intelligent and absolutely adorable from the conversations she’s had with the brunette and she can’t wait to learn more.

 

Camila, on the other hand, is rushing through the streets in an attempt to try to get to the café on time. She’d taken a nap after her work and slept past the time she was planning to get up for her meet up with Lauren. Despite enjoying her conversations with the girl, she’s still determined on calling out the girl for pretending to be someone else.

 

The brunette enters the café and looks around, trying to spot a baseball cap and a grey hoodie as that’s what “Lauren Jauregui” said she’d be wearing. She finds the back of the girl’s head in the corner and slowly approaches her, trying to replay in her head what she would say to the girl.

 

She takes the last few steps and gets in the raven-haired girl’s line of view, getting ready for her attack when her eyes land on Lauren’s face and her words die in her mouth. Her brown eyes widen at the sight of the girl, free of make-up but looking as every bit as flawless as she does whenever Camila had seen her on TV. Her green eyes are bright and her lips are plump and full while a single diamond stud rests on her left nostril and Camila is finding it hard to breathe.

 

She remains standing gawking at the girl before Lauren slowly stands up and awkwardly clears her throat, “Um – hello,” she says with a small wave of her hand. “I’m Lauren. You’re Camila, right?” she says while extending her hand and Camila snaps out of her trance.

 

“Holy shit!” the brunette exclaims, pointing an accusatory finger at Lauren while the raven-haired girl’s eyes widen in panic as she looks around to see if anyone is paying attention to them. “You’re Lauren fucking Jauregui,” she continues at a volume that makes Lauren cringe.

 

“Um, yeah” the green-eyed girl responds unsurely. “We’ve been talking for a week and I posted a picture of myself on my profile,” she explains. “You didn’t know?” she asks with a confused face.

 

Camila just shakes her head to try to get her thoughts together. “You’re actually Lauren Jauregui!” she exclaims again. “What the actual fuck is going on?” Then she looks around and looks like she just figured something out. “Oh shit, am I on _Punk’d_ or something? Is Kutcher going to come out or what?” she says while laughing and enthusiastically looking around.

 

“Um no,” Lauren says. “Look, Camila. You seem like a nice girl, but can you tone it down a bit?” she whispers. “I really don’t wanna draw the attention of the paps here.”

 

“Oh my god, I can’t believe this,” Camila says as she ignores the girl’s pleas. “Lauren Jauregui actually decided she wanted to meet up with _me_ ,” she says in wonder. Then her expression changes to one of anger? “Why didn’t you tell me you were the real Lauren?! This whole time I thought I was going to get catfished?”

 

“I’m sorry?” Lauren says, hesitating for a bit. “For _not_ catfishing you, I guess. But seriously,” she says while looking around desperately. “You really need to be quiet,” she begs as she surveys the place and sees that a couple customers are now looking at them.

 

“Be quiet?! I can’t be ‘quiet,’” she says while making exaggerated air quotes with her fingers.

 

“I really don’t want to do what I’m about to do,” Lauren warns. “So please, can you just sit down and we can talk?” she tries one last time.

 

Camila just shakes her head vigorously with a matching wag of her finger. “Oh no,” she laughs. “We’re not just gonna ‘sit down and talk’ – OH!”

 

Her words are interrupted with a yelp when she feels herself being lifted off the ground as Lauren throws her over her shoulder, wrapping her arms around her legs as she scurries towards the exit in the back.

 

“Oh my god, Lauren! Put me down,” she cries.

 

Lauren just continues to easily carry her to the far end of the parking lot and Camila feels herself being gently placed inside a BMW 3 Series. She sees Lauren hurry around the car and get in the driver’s seat, driving out of the lot after buckling her seat belt on.

 

“Put on your seat belt, please” Lauren says as she turns to a stunned Camila for a second.

 

Camila does as she says when she finally snaps out of her daze and looks around. “Damn, this car is nice,” she whistles. Lauren just chuckles and shakes her head,

 

“Thanks.”

 

The brunette notices that they pull in another small restaurant’s parking lot and she turns to the raven-haired girl, who’s turned in her own seat to address the girl.

 

“Okay, look,” Lauren says as she gestures to the place around them. “See, we’re still in a public place and you are free to get out whenever you want,” she clarifies. “I don’t want you thinking I’m kidnapping you or anything,” at which the brunette just raises an eyebrow. “I just didn’t know what to do and I panicked, okay? You wouldn’t stop freaking out and I really needed you stop talking before you drew any more attention to us,” she sighs. “I’m sorry for just carrying you like that,” the dark-haired girl says as she looks down ashamed.

 

Camila chuckles, causing Lauren to snap her head back up to look at the brunette. “No, no _I’m_ sorry for being so extra,” she says with a light laugh. “I just – I really did not expect this to be real,” she shakes her head at herself.

 

“I mean, I don’t know why you were so surprised,” Lauren replies. “I posted a picture of myself and wrote my whole name in.”

 

Camila looks at her curiously, “Yeah, but ordinary people use famous people’s pictures all the time. I didn’t expect a famous person to be on a dating site and I definitely didn’t expect a celebrity to actually reveal themselves right away. I can’t believe you used a real picture.”

 

“Was I not supposed to use a real picture of myself?”

 

“Do you not know that you’re famous or something?” Camila asks amusedly while a faint blush forms on Lauren’s cheeks as she rubs the back of her neck. “Oh my god, you’re so adorable,” the brunette coos.

 

Lauren swats Camila’s hand gently when she tries to pinch her cheeks as she straightens up to ask what she was going to say, “So – um – did you wanna continue this date?” the dark-haired girl asks insecurely, eyes darting anywhere but Camila’s.

 

Camila smiles at the girl’s nervousness and nods her head enthusiastically, “Are you kidding? Of course! Yeah, what did you have in mind?”

 

“Well, um – nothing in particular. But I would like, if possible, somewhere low-key, you know?” she asks, meeting the brunette’s eyes. “I just don’t want the paps involved.”

 

“I know just the place.”

 

\--

 

Camila gives Lauren directions and they eventually arrive at some hole-in-the-wall place that serves Cuban food.

 

“Their food here is absolutely amazing,” Camila says eagerly as they walk through the entrance, holding the door open for the other girl. “And the service is phenomenal. I know you’re Cuban-American so I thought you might like this place,” she explains as she looks around for a familiar face.

 

“Yeah, I’m definitely excited. I’m always down for Cuban food, you know?” Lauren smiles at the girl and the brunette can’t help but notice how a slight Cuban accent lingered around her words. Lauren looks around and marvels at how at-home she feels in the place. The restaurant is mostly dimly lit with dark shades of red painting the walls and fairy lights strategically strung around the entire dining area. There are also several framed photos that capture the Cuban atmosphere, Lauren notes as her eyes linger over the photos of street-cart vendors and narrow roads planked by antique buildings as well as Cuba’s beautiful beaches.

 

“Camilita!” they hear someone call for Camila and they turn to see an elderly Hispanic man walking towards them with outstretched arms, which the brunette eagerly runs into. “I’m so glad you can stop by, mija” the man says as they pull back, beaming at each other.

 

“Please,” Camila mock scoffs. “You know I can’t stay way from this place,” she teases the old man.

 

“Oh, of course. Of course,” he chuckles as he brings his attention to the the dark-haired girl, who’s still looking at the place around them.

 

“Oh, this is Lauren” Camila says gesturing to the girl as she introduces the the two. “Lauren, this is Alfredo, my second father basically,” the brunette smiles at the two of them as they shake hands.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, sir” Lauren says. “This is quite the place you have,” she says with pure admiration in her voice.

 

“Lauren?” Alfredo says as he scrunches his face in thought. “You look like somebody I’ve seen before, huh?” he muses.

 

Camila’s eyes find Lauren’s green ones and she’s able to figure out what the dark-haired girl is wanting to tell her without the use of words. “Oh, you’ve met too many people, Alfred,” Camila jumps in. “There’s bound to be similarities every now and then.”

 

“Ah, you’re right, mija” the man replies. “It’s the old age, you know?” he says lightheartedly. “It’s starting to get to me,” he chuckles. “Anyway, let me sit you and your friend, this way,” he says kindly as he ushers them to a corner.

 

Camila and Lauren continue their date as they bond over authentic Cuban food. “Oh my god,” Lauren moans into her food as she takes the first bite. “This is so good,” she says approvingly and Camila has to divert her eyes from the girl’s look of pleasure before she lets her imagination run wild.

 

“Right? I told you you’d love it here,” she smiles at the girl once she composes herself.

 

“I definitely do,” the dark-haired girl says while nodding her head. “So how do you know the owner?” Lauren asks after swallowing her food.

 

“Um, my parents have always been very busy people,” the brunette shrugs. “Being doctors and all, so I used to come here all the time when I was younger,” Camila smiles at the memory. “Alfred, and his wife Maria, are kind of like a second set of parents.”

 

“Oh, okay,” Lauren nods as she listens.

 

They learn more about each other, Lauren telling Camila some stories of her childhood, ones the younger girl hadn’t heard from the media or found out through Google, while Camila tells Lauren more about her own life and how she works as a writer for a major publication in L.A. They bond over their shared passion in music and talk about their similar tastes in music.

 

At the end of the date, Camila is glad she wasn’t catfished after all and Lauren feels like she hadn’t completely lost all of her social skills as she finds it easy to converse with Camila.

 

“Okay, since you decided on this date,” Lauren says as she wipes her mouth with a napkin, running her tongue over her lips afterwards to rid of any remaining food traces on her mouth, an action that Camila’s eyes immediately follow. “How about, I invite you for dinner for our second one?”

 

“At your place?” Camila asks, surprised.

 

“Yeah, why not?” Lauren shrugs. “I’ve been watching the food channel a lot and I really want to try this casserole I saw once and maybe I can impress you with my cooking skills,” the green-eyed girl says with a bright smile and who is Camila to really deny this adorable human being anything that she wants.

 

“But I could be a serial killer stalker or something,” Camila tries one more time.

 

“Are you?” Lauren asks seriously.

 

“No.”

 

“Well then,” the raven-haired girl claps her hands enthusiastically. “We’re on for the second date!”

 

Camila shakes her head fondly at the girl across from her. “Okay. We need to teach you how to deal with meeting people on the internet and inviting strangers to your home,” the brunette smiles as the other girl just flushes red.

 

\--

 

Camila walks out of the elevator that leads directly into Lauren’s living room after getting escorted by the security to the dark-haired girl’s penthouse.

 

“Wow,” the brunette says to herself as she looks around, the place surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides. “Really living that rock star life, huh?” she teases the other Latina, who’s frantically moving around the kitchen, hair up in a messy bun and in an apron that has _Know What Tastes Even Better Than My Cooking?_ with an arrow pointing down written on the front. “Nice apron,” Camila says with a laugh.

 

“Yeah yeah,” Lauren says dismissively, still stirring something on the stove. “My best friend thinks she’s hilarious. “Make yourself comfortable. There’s drinks by the bar or juice in the fridge or coffee or tea and I ha-”

 

“I got it,” the brunette responds with a light chuckle. “Just focus over there Gordon Ramsey,” she says teasingly while helping herself to a glass of water.

 

After a few more moments of small talk and Lauren working around in the kitchen, they’re finally setting up the table and Camila can’t help but be excited from the aroma that’s easily permeating the room. They sit down on one side of Lauren’s gigantic dining table and Lauren sets her forearms in front of her, waiting eagerly as the brunette across the table gathers some food on her spoon, getting ready to take the first bite.

 

Camila smiles at the girl, whose green eyes are wide and bright and she can tell the girl is holding her breath so she teases her and takes her time in lifting the spoon to her mouth.

 

“Cameeelaa,” Lauren whines. “Just taste it already.”

 

“Okay, okay,” Camila concedes while laughing at the girl. “Stop looking like an over-eager puppy and distracting me then.” Lauren flushes pink and rolls hers eyes to try to hide her embarrassment.

 

Camila finally takes a bite and it’s – horrible. Like, absolutely, without a doubt, incredibly horrific. How Lauren managed to make such a simple dish seem like it was concocted in a lab by mad scientists is beyond Camila.

 

She keeps it in her mouth with a tight-lipped smile and starts to chew slowly, so as to not accidentally swallow huge chunks and choke to death. Lauren is still looking at her with her excited eyes and her dazzling smile and Camila wants to throw up, but at the same time, it would be like kicking a puppy if she told her the truth. If it were anyone else, Camila would have simply gathered her things and ran out. Maybe call the police for attempted poisoning, but she figures Lauren is too pretty for jail so she stays.

 

“Mmm,” Camila says as she swallows the first bite, fighting the urge to cough as the rough texture of the food remnants scratch at her throat. “That was sooo good,” she says with a pained-looking smile.

 

Lauren’s facial expression drops and she pouts. “It’s bad, isn’t it?” It’s horrendous actually, but the brunette thinks she doesn’t need to be technical. “Let me taste it,” she says while trying to get some food from Camila’s plate.

 

“No!” Camila exclaims, pulling the plate out of reach from the girl. She doesn’t want her to be poisoned as well. Camila gathers more food onto her spoon and shoves it in her own mouth with a slight grimace. “See? It’s good,” she says around a mouthful of the devil’s casserole. “It’s really good,” she moans exaggeratedly. “You’re gonna put Bobby Flay out of business,” the girl insists.

 

Lauren watches the girl, absolutely endeared by her antics. She shakes her head as she gently pries the plate away from Camila and starts to put away the dishes. “I appreciate you trying to spare my feelings, but you look like you’re going to vomit so” she says as she continues to put away the dishes. “While you go ahead and do that, I’ll order us some pizza. How does that sound?” she asks the girl, whose eyes light up at the thought of edible food and Lauren feels like she’s falling a little more each day.

 

\--

 

They continue to date secretly but not secretly at the same time. Lauren isn’t going to hold any press conferences anytime soon detailing her new romance, but she isn’t exactly hiding it either. She’s given up (as well as her manager) a long time ago on trying to convince other people on a certain image so she doesn’t care if people see that she’s dating a woman. Her biggest concern is worrying about keeping Camila from getting too involved in the messy paparazzi so she tries to find quiet places to take her to.

 

They’ll go on a few dates out every once in a while, but for the most part, they stay in watching movies and just enjoying each other’s company, basking in how they can go from intellectually stimulating one another and keeping each other on their toes, to cracking stupid jokes.

 

 **_celeb_entertainment:_ ** _Singer-songwriter Lauren Jauregui spotted leaving a restaurant in West Hollywood with unnamed brunette bombshell. Check out the pics of these gal pals! www.celeb_entertainment.com _

**_@jauregayforlmj:_ ** **_*eyes emoji*_ **

**_@ilovelernjergi:_ ** _damn @LaurenJauregui…what’s her @...asking for a friend_

 

**_@noticemelauren:_ ** _okay but when are you going back on tour @LaurenJauregui???_

 

**_@slutforjauregui:_ ** _guysss!!! I found her! @camilacabello97 hi (((:_

 

**_@jaguarnation:_ ** _what are your intentions for our smol human bean? @camilacabello97?_

 

**_@marrymelauren:_ ** _y’all delusional I swear_

\--

 

_Camila: Lauren!_

**Lauren: Camila!**

_Camila: your fans are blowing up my twitter )):_

**Lauren: Aw, poor baby. This is what you signed up for when you decided to date me tho so**

_Camila: I cant even use twitter w/o it crashing :((_

**Lauren: are they being mean to you?**

_Camila: no, well, most of them aren’t. they’re just looking out for you_

**Lauren: give me their @s**

_Camila: lo, it’s okay. I blocked those one or two accounts *shrugs*_

**Lauren: im sorry, camz**

_Camila: Laur, it’s really fine. trust me. most of your fans have been actually pretty sweet_

**Lauren: okay, if it gets out of hand, just let me know**

**Lauren: anyway, im coming over. I need cuddles**

_Camila: is that all you need_

**Lauren: and I gotta eat too**

_Camila: I don’t have food_

**Lauren: good thing I didn’t mean food**

_Camila: Get. Here. Now._

**Lauren: yes ma’am**

**\--**

Camila picks up her ringing phone and braces herself for the inevitable yelling coming her way. _“Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao!”_ her mom’s voice rings through the receiver and she moves the phone a tiny bit from her ear to preserve her hearing. Lauren smiles amusedly against her neck as they cuddle on the couch, the green-eyed girl leaving soft nips along the column of her throat while sneaking a hand under her shirt and rubbing the warm skin.

 

“Hi mami, I miss you too,” she greets her mom, who huffs at her reply. She holds onto Lauren’s wrist, stopping the girl’s wandering hands from going any further than the underside of her boob and gives her a glare, which the dark-haired girl kisses off with a cheeky smile. The older girl opts to sitting next to Camila instead and intertwining the brunette’s hand that’s not holding her phone with her own, kissing the back of it sweetly before playing with her girlfriend’s fingers. Camila’s lips quirk up in a soft smile at how affectionate her girlfriend is.

 

Her mom’s voice brings her back to their conversation and she fights the urge to roll her eyes even though her mother can’t actually see her. “ _You’re dating a pop star?!”_ she yells again and Camila is really starting to worry about her hearing.

 

“Mami, please calm down. Yes, I am in fact dating a pop star and it’s going well if you must know,” she says with a smile. The girl next to her smiles instinctively as well as she continues to play with the brown-eyed girl’s slender fingers.

 

“ _Why didn’t you tell me?”_ and the slight hurt in her tone is enough for Camila to drop the attitude and appease her mom.

 

“I’m really sorry, mami,” she says sincerely. “I honestly was just making sure this was real,” she says while meeting the green-eyed girl’s curious gaze. “I had a hard time processing it in the beginning because it seemed too good to be true, so I’m really sorry I hadn’t told you.”

 

She hears her mother sigh and she knows she’s forgiven. “ _Alright, mija. But I want to meet this girl that’s got you all lovesick,_ ” her mom teases her, letting her know that all is well.

 

“Okay that sounds good. When are you free?”

 

_“I’ll drop by this weekend. How about this Saturday for dinner?”_

“Yeah that works,” she says while kissing Lauren on the spot between her eyebrows, immediately easing her worries when she sees her scrunch her face in thought.

 

_“Okay, take care, mija. Te quiero”_

“I love you, mami. See you soon”

 

“So?” Lauren asks after a few seconds and goes back to nipping at Camila’s neck.

 

“My mom wants to meet you,” she says while closing her eyes tightly and preparing for Lauren’s reaction.

 

“What?!” the dark-haired girl says in surprise, jerking away from Camila in a panic.

 

“Can people stop yelling in my ear?” Camila says while cringing.

 

“I’m sorry, baby,” Lauren coos and sits back down next to Camila, rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her. “But did you say that I’m going to meet your mother?” she asks nervously, the circles on the younger girl’s back getting progressively faster.

 

“Okay, hold up,” Camila says while taking Lauren’s hand in her own before the girl burns a hole in her back. “You’re gonna do great, baby. My mom will love you, I promise,” she says certainly. When the green-eyed girl just pouts, the brunette moves to straddle her and starts to kiss and suck the sensitive skin alongside her jaw and down her neck as Lauren closes her eyes in pleasure. “How about…I ease your nerves a bit?” she asks while pulling back with a smirk.

 

“That could work,” Lauren replies and abruptly flips them over so Camila is on her back.

 

\--

 

Dinner with Camila’s mom, Sinu, goes better than either of the girls expected. Sinu is as welcoming and warm and kind as Camila is and took a liking to the dark-haired girl in a heartbeat. Sinu sees how Camila’s eyes light up every time the brown-eyed girl so much as looks Lauren’s way. The way they both get lost in one another and how they can’t seem to get enough of each other, always keeping close or playing with one another’s fingers, Sinu _knows_ her daughter is in love with someone who cares just as much, if not more, for Camila and she couldn’t ask for anything else, especially after what Camila went through with her ex.

 

Sinu sees glimpses of how Lauren takes care of her daughter. She sees it in the way Lauren keeps a hand on Camila’s back wherever they go, no matter how short the distance. She sees it in the way the green-eyed girl looks at her daughter with tender eyes and soft smiles. She knows it by how the girl genuinely finds Camila’s terrible jokes to be the funniest thing to ever exist and in the way she comforts her with a sweet kiss when Camila pouts at her mom for saying only Lauren laughs at her jokes.

 

She has seen it in how Lauren had no qualms in standing up for her girl amidst media speculations and outrageous gossip, not caring about her own image as long as Camila is protected and kept safe.

 

After getting Sinu’s unwavering support and approval of their relationship, the two girls continue a relatively problem-free relationship. Camila cooks for Lauren while the dark-haired girl thanks her in kisses and orgasms. Lauren brings Camila to premieres and red carpets, giving her backstage access to meet her favorite artists and the brunette thanks her girl with her own kisses that take Lauren to heights she’s never been.

 

They learn to compromise with one another and it’s easy and comfortable and they fall for each other with each day that passes.

 

Lauren eventually learns to read Camila and her moods, mastering how to effectively deal with her jealous tendencies, knowing when to push her limits and when to back down.

 

They’re lounging on Lauren’s couch, the dark-haired girl lying on her stomach with her head on Camila’s lap and turned towards the TV while the brunette is sitting upright and browsing through her Instagram.

 

“Can you stop pouting so loudly?” Lauren’s voice is muffled by Camila’s sweats.

 

The brunette scrunches her face at the back of the dark-haired girl’s head. “How do you know I’m pouting?”

 

“I have a Camila Cabello pouting radar.”

 

When Camila doesn’t respond, Lauren reluctantly gets up from the comfort of Camila’s lap and stares at her girlfriend, who’s still pouting at her screen. “Come on, what’s got you all pouty?” she says as she paws Camila’s legs with her toes, making the girl squirm.

 

“Nothing,” she mutters.

 

“Okay then,” Lauren shrugs as she returns her attention back on the TV.

 

“I just think it’s funny that-” Lauren smiles at her wildly and the brunette catches herself mid-sentence and abruptly stops talking. “Oh my god, I’m a crazy girlfriend meme,” she pouts even more.

 

“Okay, how about you actually tell me what’s going on,” the dark-haired girl says while gently prying the phone away from Camila and setting it on the table before turning towards her girl to give the brunette her full attention.

 

“It’s nothing really,” she says as she crosses her arms across her chest and stares straight ahead. “Your best friend slash ex just likes a lot of your pictures on instagram, is all” she shrugs as if she’s not affected.

 

The green-eyed girl fights to keep her smile contained as she moves to straddle the girl and gently grabs her wrists so she can uncross the younger girl’s arms. She then brings a finger under the girl’s chin and slowly lifts it up so she can meet her eyes. “Are you jealous?”

 

“No,” the smaller girl scoffs, bringing her eyes down again from Lauren’s piercing ones.

 

“Aw baby,” Lauren coos as she dips her head to nuzzle Camila’s neck. “You’re my main ho, you know that right? Keana knows that” she yelps at the sting of Camila slapping her arm.

 

“Lauren!”

 

“I kid I kid,” Lauren says pulling back with a smile and leaning forward again to kiss Camila’s pout away. “You know I love you.”

 

They both freeze the moment the words are out of Lauren’s mouth and Camila opens her mouth, only to close it back again, opting to continue to stare at her girlfriend with wide eyes instead.

 

After a few tense moments, Lauren lets out a nervous laugh as she runs a hand through her choppy hair. “You don’t have to say anything back. I’ve known for a bit and I didn’t wanna scare you, but I guess that’s all out the window now,” she explains, still chuckling nervously. She meets Camila’s shocked brown eyes and smiles. “I love you and it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way yet, I’ll wait.”

 

“Laur-” Camila doesn’t really know what to say so she’s thankful when she’s interrupted by a gentle hand on her cheek, Lauren’s thumb softly stroking her skin.

 

“It’s okay, I promise. Don’t feel like you have to say it back just because,” she says with gentle eyes and Camila’s heart constricts at the sight. She does love the dark-haired girl back. She knows it. She knows it by the way her heart speeds up every time someone so much as mentions the green-eyed girl. She knows it by the fact that whenever she’s with Lauren, it feels like it’s too much and not enough at the same time.

 

She doesn’t know why she can’t say it though.

 

So she kisses Lauren. She kisses her hard and passionately, bringing her hand to curl around the dark-haired girl’s neck as she pulls her down closer, swallowing her girlfriend’s gasps as she tilts her head to deepen the kiss. Camila kisses Lauren as if to say everything she can’t with words.

 

\--

 

Dinah, Normani, Lauren, Camila, and Ally, which Camila learns is the green-eyed girl’s other best friend, whose job is to balance the crazy that the blonde Polynesian brings to her girlfriend’s life, are all sitting around Camila and Normani’s apartment, attempting to play board games like civilized human beings. Key word on _attempting._

 

They’re playing monopoly at the moment and is on the verge of ruining every relationship they have formed with one another. Well, Normani and Lauren are still playing, the rest have resigned to their fate of defeat. Dinah was the first to go bankrupt after buying random properties and failing to build houses on them, while Ally eventually lost her money because she gave too many breaks to the other girls, feeling bad when she had to collect rent from them.

 

Camila had tried to seduce Lauren into paying with sexual favors instead of money for rent and was left unsatisfied and broke as the other girl rejected her advances, too focused on blocking Normani from building an empire on the New York properties while trying to build her own at the yellow spaces. Camila eventually relented when she went bankrupt and decided she was safe anyway because Lauren’s money was hers as well. She’d gladly have Lauren as a sugar mama.

 

Normani is on the verge of winning and forcing Lauren to mortgage her last property when they hear the doorbell ring. Camila looks around confused and Normani shrugs her shoulders because it’s almost eleven and the brunette was not expecting anyone that wasn’t already in the room.

 

The brunette gets up with a huff when she realizes no one else is going to get it and moves to open the door, yelling back at her friends, “Yeah no it’s okay, don’t get up. I got i-” Her words get caught in her throat when she turns around and sees who’s at the door.

 

“Luce?”

 

\--

 

Dinah and Ally are with Lucy and Camila in the living room as they try to make small talk with the new girl while Normani and Lauren have retreated to the kitchen, pretending like they’re doing something other than burning holes to the back of the brunette visitor’s head.

 

“So, what brings you here?” Camila asks Lucy and she prays that her voice isn’t as unsteady as her heart.

 

“I was in town, so I thought we could catch up,” she meets Camila’s eyes pleadingly.

 

“So where are you based now?” Dinah tries to ease the tension in the room.

 

“Um, New York,” Lucy replies quietly.

 

“What do you do?” Ally jumps in the conversation.

 

“I’m a model.” There’s a flash of pain that crosses Camila’s features and the conversation hits a lull.

 

 

 

“So, Lucy?” Lauren questions Normani as they stand idly by kitchen counter. “Who is she?”

 

“Um,” Normani laughs nervously as she fails to meets Lauren’s eyes while rubbing the back of her neck. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “She’s Camila’s ex. Her first love, first everything. She was Camila’s go-to person because her parents were never around. They were best friends before they started dating and Lucy left her to follow her dreams in New York,” she gets it all out in one breath and Lauren can see anger in her brown eyes. “Camila was an absolute wreck when she left and she didn’t even bother to check on her,” she scoffs disbelievingly.

 

Lauren lowers her gaze to the ground, her heart thumping in her chest as she swallows the lump in her throat. She tries to steady her heart enough to get her next words out.

 

“Do you think-,” she breathes out a shaky laugh. “Do you think she still loves her?”

 

Normani doesn’t need the clarification on which girl she’s referring to when she sees the hurt in Lauren’s green eyes.

 

“She cares about you a lot, Laur,” Normani says sincerely. “I know for a fact, you’re the most important person in her life right now.”

 

“Right, of course,” Lauren nods while furrowing her eyebrows, not sure if she’s agreeing with Normani or trying to convince herself she’s okay.

 

After a few more moments of awkward tension, Normani finally kicks everyone out, telling them it’s late and she needs her beauty sleep. Lucy seems disappointed, Camila looks like she’s still in a bit of a daze, while everyone else just seems relieved. Normani decides she’s staying with her boyfriend for the night, giving Lauren a wink at the end to let her know that she should talk to Camila.

 

After cleaning up after their friends, Lauren looks around the apartment and sees through the balcony door that Camila is leaning against its rails, in deep thought. She takes a deep breath and prepares her heart as she picks up the blanket off the back of the couch and nervously makes her way out onto the terrace to join the brunette. She gently cloaks the girl with the blanket and wraps her slender arms around the smaller girl’s waist delicately, resting her chin on her shoulder and she feels her girlfriend sigh and relax against her, as if her touch was all she needed to release the tension from her body.

 

“Are you okay?” the dark-haired girl asks quietly, her warm breath hitting Camila’s neck and sending shivers down the girl’s spine that has nothing to do with the night air.

 

Camila turns her head to meet concerned green eyes and nods her head in the slightest bit.

 

“Yeah,” her answer comes out breathy and she gives Lauren a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. The green-eyed girl wraps her arms a little tighter and closes her eyes, reveling in the girl’s warmth, hoping that the girl is really okay. That _they’re_ really okay.

 

\--

 

_“Hey, honey, I’m home,” Lucy playfully sings through the apartment as she sets her things down and spots her girlfriend cooking in the kitchen. “Oooh, what you got over there?” she asks Camila as she sidles up behind her and hugs her from behind, leaving kisses down her neck while the girl just smiles at her actions. Camila turns her head to meet Lucy’s lips in a kiss before she gets back to cooking._

_“Your favorite,” she says with a soft smile. Lucy reaches over and turns off the stove. “Luce!” she squeals as Lucy wraps her arms tighter around Camila and carries the laughing girl through the apartment to their bedroom._

_“I’m craving a little something different,” she husks in her girlfriend’s ear as she sets her down on their bed before crawling towards Camila and seductively hovering over her._

_\--_

_“No, Lucy! Please don’t do this,” Camila sobs as she grabs hold of the girl’s retreating arm, her eyes pleading and desperate. “I love you. I love you so much, you don’t have to do this.”_

_Lucy looks at the pain in the girl’s eyes and she swallows hard while trying to keep her tears at bay. “I do have to do this, Cami. It’s what’s best for us.”_

_“No it’s not! How is this best for anyone? Why can’t we stay together while you’re in New York? We can make this work, I promise,” the girl continues to sob. “Please don’t leave me like this.”_

_“It’ll be too hard and just hurt us in the end, Cami. I have to do this on my own, it’s better that we end like this and we can look back on it and say we broke up on our terms and not because we slowly tore each other apart because of the long distance. I’m sorr-,” her words are cut off by a searing kiss as Camila tries to pour her heart out in the only way she knows best. She brings her hands to cradle Lucy’s face with both hands as she opens her mouth to deepen the kiss, conveying every emotion she’s feeling through this kiss. She pulls back and leans her forehead against the brunette._

_“I love you, isn’t that not enough?” Camila can feel her herself losing her hold on Lucy. She can physically feel the girl pull away, taking Camila’s heart with her._

_“I’m sorry,” Lucy says one more time, prying Camila’s hands from her face before going out the door and leaving Camila’s life and heart in shambles._

_\--_

Camila is mindlessly flipping through the channels on her TV when someone knocks on her door. Begrudgingly, she gets up and opens it without really expecting anyone in particular and her heart drops at the sight of Lucy nervously wringing her hand in front of her.

 

“Hi,” the girl says quietly while meeting Camila’s eyes with a sad smile. “Can we talk?”

 

Camila feels like she’s on autopilot when she lets Lucy in and they decide to go on the balcony to talk even though Normani isn’t home.

 

 

 

Lauren is going through the familiar streets that lead to Camila’s apartment, her movements practiced and easy as she’s been to the girl’s place for as many times as she’s been in her own penthouse. She’s quietly opening the girl’s door with a key Camila gave her with one hand, while trying to keep the bouquet of roses secure with the other when she’s finally able to push it open. Her girlfriend has been feeling down for the last couple of days and she plans on taking her out on a getaway weekend, because it’s been too long since she’s seen the brunette with a genuine smile and Lauren couldn’t take it anymore. She doesn’t really want to think about why Camila is sad because it feels like a stab to her own heart.

 

She finally spots the girl in the balcony and moves to surprise her when she halts in her tracks as someone else comes into view. She sees Lucy step towards Camila and cradle her face before leaning forward and taking her lips in a soft kiss. Lauren looks on and she can feel her heart tighten at the sight, her eyes blinking rapidly as she tries to keep her tears in. Oddly enough, she doesn’t seem too shocked, although that doesn’t really make it feel any less painful.

 

 

Camila stands frozen as Lucy leans forward to kiss her and she instinctively closes her eyes at the familiar lips. She doesn’t reciprocate, but she doesn’t push the girl away either as she stands unmoving for a few moments. She’s finally snapped out of her daze when she feels Lucy swipe her tongue across her lips and she immediately pushes the girl off.

 

“No, Lucy,” Camila says with a shake of her head. The movement allows her to see somebody in the living room from her peripheral vision and when she turns to look, her heart drops to her stomach.

 

“Lauren!” she yells after the girl and hurriedly opens the balcony door as she sees the green-eyed girl slipping out the front door. “Lauren, wait!” the brunette yells down the hall as she tries to keep up with the girl’s pace.

 

The older girl abruptly stops and turns around with Camila almost running into her. Her green eyes are cloudy with unshed tears and she’s gripping the bouquet of roses so tightly that her knuckles are turning white. A myriad of emotions are visible on her face, pain being an obvious one, but to Camila’s surprise, anger isn’t one of them. Lauren just looks broken, and the brunette almost wishes she was angry instead. She’d take anger and yelling over the absolute anguish that’s marring the girl’s features. She looks a lot like someone who’s given up. Like someone who’s already lost the fight.

 

“Lauren, I can explain, please,” Camila begs.

 

Lauren just looks at her with the same hurt expression, staying silent the whole time.

 

“I – um – I’m sorry, I was –” Camila runs a hand through her hair frustratedly as she tries to gather her thoughts. When she can’t formulate a coherent response, Lauren just nods sadly,

 

“I thought so,” the green-eyed girl responds with a shaky breath. “You know I came here to tell you that they approved my request to postpone the few extra tour dates they wanted me to do before going back to the studio. I fought for this extra time so I could spend it with you because you’d been so down lately,” Lauren’s eyes drop to the ground. “I guess it’s best that I go on those tour dates after all.”

 

“No wait! Lauren, I love you,” she cries when she sees the girl start to turn.

 

Lauren gives out a pained laugh and shakes her head, as if trying to erase the girl’s words from her memory. She doesn’t want to hope for too much. “No you don’t. That much is clear to me,” she responds calmly, and her quiet demeanor chills Camila to the bone.

 

“Lauren,” Camila takes her hands and searches for her eyes. “I do, I love you,” she tries to convey her sincerity. “I was just caught off guard, I – it was – I’m sorry. I made a mistake by not pushing her away but I mean it when I say I love you,” tears are now streaming down her face.

 

“ _This_ is when you decide to tell me?” Lauren asks with a crack of her voice. “I’ve been dreaming of the day you say it back and you tell me when you think you’re gonna lose me,” she responds and Camila sees Lauren’s tears finally cascade down the slope of her cheeks.

 

“Laur, please belie-”

 

“I get it,” Lauren nods resolutely as she gently takes her hands away from Camila’s grip. The brunette’s heart shatters at the loss of Lauren’s warmth. “I can’t compete with that, now can I?” Lauren asks sadly. “First love, first _everything_?”

 

“There _is_ no competition, Laur,” Camila sobs. “ _You’re_ the one I want.”

 

“Do you still love her?” Lauren asks as she watches Camila’s brown eyes swim with uncertainty.

 

Camila only hesitates for a second before she answers, “No.”

 

“Yeah, you need to work on your acting skills, babe” Lauren says with a sad smile as she brings a hand up to wipe the tears from Camila’s face, unable to help herself. “That’s why you couldn’t say it back, right? Because you still love her. And that’s okay,” she replies in a broken tone, as if conveying to Camila that she’s letting her go.

 

“No Laur, please believe me. Maybe I still care for her because we were friends for a really long time. I’ll always care for her, but I am _not_ in love with her anymore, Lo. I love _you_ ,” she tries to convince the girl desperately.

 

Lauren just shakes her head once more. “I know what it’s like to be someone’s second choice, Camz,” she says, her voice barely audible. “Don’t put me through that again. Sort your feelings out, for your sake and for mine. Just –” she takes a deep breath in an attempt to steady her voice. “Take this time to make sure you know what you want, okay? I love you,” she says one last time before leaving a lingering kiss on the brunette’s forehead.

 

Camila watches Lauren go as she takes half of her heart with her. She walks back to her apartment, trying to keep herself from completely falling apart in the hallway and she sees Lucy sat on her couch.

 

“Get out.”

 

Lucy turns at the voice and immediately walks up to Camila, who takes a step back with her hand held out. “Cami, forget about her, okay? I’m the one that’s here, we can try agai-”

 

“How fucking dare you?” Camila spits out venomously, her tone low and her eyes cold. “How can you think that you can just walk out of my life and come waltzing back in like you didn’t completely break me when you left?”

 

“That’s why I’m here, Camila,” Lucy replies. “So we can try again”

 

“Really? You came back here because you’ve loved me all along and regret everything you did or is it because you saw on the news that I was with someone else. That I was happy?” she asks the girl with an icy tone. “Are you really that opposed to my happiness that you’d come back here just to ruin everything again?!”

 

“Please, we deserve a second chance,” the girl pleads.

 

“No we don’t! _You_ don’t deserve another chance. I fucking followed you to New York,” Camila says, her voice cracking at the memory. “I tried to fight for us. And you sent me away, you were too busy living your dream, remember? You don’t love me, Luce” she shakes her head. “You love the idea of us. And now that you see me happy with someone else, you can’t stand it. You were my best friend, Lucy. If you truly care for me, you’d let me be happy,” she says resignedly. “So if you have nothing else left to say other than trying to get me back, you can go,” she says without looking at the girl.

 

Lucy looks at the girl pleadingly and hesitates before she finally leaves through the door, leaving Camila to break down in her own living room.

 

\--

 

Lauren goes on tour and puts on a show for her fans, pouring all her attention on performing and tiring herself out so she wouldn’t have to cry herself to sleep. She doesn’t know if leaving for tour was the best decision, but she does know that her heart is tired and as much as she loves Camila, she needs to take care of herself too. She needs to put herself first.

 

Camila still stalks the dark-haired girl’s social media accounts, following her likes and reblogs, trying to keep up with the girl’s life even if it’s through a screen. She sees the green-eyed girl like a post about missing someone and heads to twitter, only to be met with her mentions being bombarded with #camrenisover tweets and it feels like her heartbreak is under a magnifying glass for the public to agonize over.

 

She’s moping again in her living room, scowling at the fact that Lauren’s newest picture has multiple comments from Keana, the girl leaving kissy face and heart eyes emojis all over the comments section.

 

“Okay, I can’t take this anymore,” Camila’s head snaps up at an irritated Normani standing over her. “This whole –” she gestures vaguely around her, “-moping around and being sad and _I miss Lauren so much_ look isn’t attractive, Mila” she says sternly.

 

Camila tries to hold back her tears and Normani’s face immediately softens, opting to sit next to the brunette instead. “I just miss her so much, Mani” she nearly cries.

 

“Okay, you fucked up,” she ignores Camila’s glare. “But shouldn’t you be doing something about it?”

 

“What do you mean?” the brunette sniffles.

 

“Do you lover her?” Normani asks pointedly.

 

“Yeah, I know that now. I’d been waiting for closure with Lucy for so long, thinking that’s what I need to move on and then –” she hiccups from crying so much. “When I finally got it, like, it didn’t even matter. Seeing Lucy again only let me know that I really am over her. I will always care for her because she was a big part of my life, but,” she sighs. “I just don’t love her like that anymore. I love Lauren and I hate that it took losing her for me to finally admit to my feelings,” she cries even more and leans on Normani’s shoulder.

 

Her friend tries not to move away from the wetness she can feel seeping through her clothes and gives Camila a comforting pat on her shoulder. “But have you told Lauren about how you feel?”

 

“She said I didn’t know what I felt, but I do, Mani. I really do,” Camila says almost urgently as she pulls back to look her friend in the eye. “It’s like I don’t know what to do without her. I miss her smile, her eyes, her company, just all of her, and I feel so lost.”

 

“Okay, then maybe you should let her know just how much you love her,” Normani says gently. “Maybe she’s just waiting for you to fight for her.”

 

So Camila finds herself on a plane to Paris the next day where she knows Lauren is staying for a couple days before performing on stage for the city of love. She’s determined to let Lauren know that she’s nobody’s second choice. Not to Camila anyway.

 

The brunette quickly checks in the same hotel as Lauren’s crew (she contacted Dinah and bribed the girl for information in exchange for mending her best friend’s heart back from its shattered pieces) and takes the elevator to Lauren’s room, ringing the doorbell before she loses her nerve.

 

Her breath gets caught in her throat when it’s opened by Lauren, dressed casually in ripped jeans and a plain black v-neck shirt, hair looking like a carefully organized mess and face bare of make-up. She’s as breathtaking as Camila remembers, eyes as green as ever and lips looking as soft as when she last felt them on her own. It’s only been about a week since they last saw each other but Camila feels like she’s missed too much already.

 

“Camz,” Lauren breathes out, shock evident in her face. “You’re here. In Paris,” she says disbelievingly. “What are you – what are you doing here?”

 

The younger girl is about to answer when she hears Keana’s unmistakable voice ring through the room, “Who’s there, babe?” and the words grip at Camila’s heart.

 

“Oh – it’s um- it’s just Camila,” Lauren says as she looks back to where Camila assumes the girl is and Lauren’s words hurt even more as they seem to drag Camila’s heart through the confines of her ribs, throwing it on the ground to helplessly fend for itself.

 

Camila wills her tears back as she says in a small voice, “Can we talk?”

 

Keana comes up behind Lauren and her eyes widen at the sight of Camila. “Um,” she laughs nervously as she runs her hand through her flawless hair, Camila notes. “I’m gonna go for a walk,” she says as she moves out the door, ignoring Lauren’s pleading eyes. “Call me when you’re – when you figure it out, ya?” she finishes while walking away.

 

Lauren lets Camila in silently and before she can say anything, the brunette speaks first.

 

“I’m here to fight for you,” she says determinedly with a resolute nod of her head. “To show you that I fucked up by not immediately pushing her away, but I’m here to prove to you that I was honestly just caught off guard. It’s you that I want. It’s you that I love,” she says quietly.

 

Lauren shakes her head and starts to pace the floor. “Don’t do this if you’re not sure, Camila. It’s okay if you don’t know it yet, but don’t rush into things for my sake.”

 

Camila lets out a frustrated growl and looks at confused green eyes before she moves forward and wraps her hands around the back of Lauren’s neck as she pulls her forward for a hard kiss. The brunette swallows the dark-haired girl’s gasp and feels the girl relax when Lauren’s hands rest on Camila’s hips as they fall into a familiar rhythm. Their lips move against one another in a sensual dance and they fight the burning in their lungs to stay connected.

 

Camila pulls back as she tries to catch her breath and sees Lauren’s eyes still a little dazed. “I. love. you. I’m sorry for what I did but I know that I love you. I want to be with you and I’m going to do everything to show you just that,” she breathes out, keeping Lauren’s gaze as she tries to convey her feelings. “The first step is to tell you I love you, and that’s why I’m here. But I want you to know that I’ll still be here when you get back from tour and I’m going to win you back, okay?” she says with a smile.

 

“I’m – I -,” they’re interrupted when Lauren’s manager comes strolling in the room.

 

“Lauren we have to g-,” he stops mid-sentence when he sees the two and raises an eyebrow. “Am I interrupting something?”

 

Camila fights the urge to respond “yes,” and watches Lauren’s conflicted eyes move from Camila to her manager.

 

“I’m sorry, Camz,” she says as she gathers her things. “I have to go.”

 

“It’s okay, I’ve said what I needed to say,” Camila says as she picks up her jacket from the couch. “Just know that I’m going to wait for you. You deserve someone fighting for you, Laur,” the brunette says with a smile.

 

\--

 

Lauren is standing outside of Camila’s hotel door (she’d contacted Normani about Camila’s room in exchange for fixing her best friend’s broken heart) and tries to calm her heart that is thundering hard against her chest.

 

The tension she feels dissipates immediately when Camila opens the door dressed in SpongeBob sleep shorts and a shirt with a small rainbow flag. She’s wearing huge glasses and her hair is in a messy bun, her bangs stubbornly framing her face while a pizza is hanging halfway in her mouth and Lauren knows she’s in love.

 

“Laur,” she squeals in surprise, her voice muffled by the pizza. She quickly sets the pizza on the box lying on her bed and hurriedly wipes her hands on her shirt as she chews quickly, flushing a deep red when she sees Lauren watching her with an amused smile.

 

Lauren lets herself in and turns around to address the flustered brunette.

 

“Did you mean what you said?”

 

“Which one?”

 

“About you loving me?”

 

“A hundred percent,” and Camila sees relief wash through Lauren’s features as her plump lips curve into a soft smile.

 

“Okay then.”

 

“Okay then what?”

 

“Okay then we can try again,” she shrugs as if she hadn’t just shocked Camila’s heart back into life. “I love you and you love me and I don’t want to waste any more time apart,” she says sincerely as she meets watery brown eyes.

 

“I love you,” Camila whispers as she surges forward to kiss Lauren deeply, instinctively wrapping her arms around the girl’s neck as the green-eyed girl wraps her own slender arms tightly around her waist, lifting her in the air. Lauren’s heart flutters in her chest and her nerves alight at being able to touch Camila again. She can taste pizza and love and Camila’s laugh in the kiss and she can’t get enough. Eventually, their smiles are too wide to maintain the kiss so they break apart reluctantly.

 

“So, you’ll be waiting for me when I finish the tour?” the green-eyed girl asks as they pull apart slightly, arms still around one another.

 

“I’ll wait for forever if I have to baby,” Camila responds with a cheeky smile.

 

 

\--

 

 

 **_@camilacabello97:_ ** _there’s nothing like me and you and you know it_

**_@LaurenJauregui:_ ** _I know it_

**_@jaureguicabello5eva:_ ** _excuse me, some people are tryna sleep @camren_

**_@camren4lyfe:_ ** _for the love of god, camren, leave our hearts out of this_

\--

The End.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Hey everyone,
> 
>  
> 
> Hope y’all are doing okay and living your best lives, and if not, working on it at least.
> 
>  
> 
> Shameless self-promo: if you haven’t already, check out my full fic in progress, Hold Over My Heart. It’s available in all your known platforms, 5hfanfic/ao3/wattpad (@jaureguicabello5eva). Will be updating that soon ((:
> 
>  
> 
> As always, feel free to leave a vote/comment/feedback if you feel like it!
> 
>  
> 
> Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and stay safe please (esp. if you’re getting snow).
> 
>  
> 
> -Maddox

**Author's Note:**

> A/N:
> 
> Hey everyone,
> 
> I’m back with a one shot. I’m compiling my one shots in a book here and on wattpad under @jaureguicabello5eva.
> 
> I have a few ideas and I’m going to try to upload semi-regularly.  
> Feel free to send me some prompts or just general things you want to see in future stories and I'll see what I can do.
> 
> Comments/feedback give me life so please tell me what you think. Talk to me about some ideas, scenes within the stories, your thoughts on the plots, the characters, point out some typos if you want, etc.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this one!
> 
> side note: there are pictures in wattpad if you want to have a better idea of the pieces being referenced
> 
> -Maddox


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